


Aa! Megami-Senshi!

by Anpwhotep (Yinepuhotep)



Series: Crystal Kingdom Archives [6]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, ああっ女神さまっ | Ah! Megami-sama! | Oh My Goddess!
Genre: Crossover, Incomplete, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2000-06-30
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 19:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 78,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2201031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yinepuhotep/pseuds/Anpwhotep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thanks to a little gift of chaos, the inhabitants of an old temple get shifted from their own universe to the universe the senshi protect. All everyone wants to do is get them safely home, but things seem to be conspiring to make that project difficult, at best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Demon's Heart

The last part went into place, and Skuld sat back with a maniacal grin. It was her greatest invention yet: Skuld's Own Hyperdimensional Bug Vacuum.

"I've done it! My genius amazes even myself!" Skuld shouted triumphantly, reaching for her ice cream. "Empty?"

Skuld's room was littered with empty pint containers, electronic components, and older devices. As Skuld left in search of more ice cream, her computer's monitor lit up with a flashing message: Warning. Dimensional Instability.

  
  


Skuld stuck her head in the freezer, moved the contents around, and shrieked in surprise.

"Oneesama! Where's the ice cream? Oneesama?" Skuld wandered out of the kitchen and started looking through the house when Belldandy didn't respond. "Oneesama? Where are you?"

"You just missed her. She went shopping," Urd announced from her perch in front of the TV. "Now get out of my way. I want to see this."

Skuld turned to see what Urd was so interested in on the TV. Her hammer was in her hand before she was consciously aware, and only the forcefield around the TV prevented her from smashing it to bits. The perverted things the couple on the screen was doing may have been to Urd's liking, but  **she**  didn't have to put up with it.

"Now you've done it, you little brat! Do you know how hard it was to get those two together like that?"

"I should have known this was your fault! Why do I have to have such a pervert for a sister?"

"Maybe you should try it yourself! It could only improve your personality!"

"Aaaah!" Skuld swung her mallet at Urd, who immediately shrank to her Mini-Urd form and teleported away. "Come back here and fight like a Goddess, you coward! Banpei! Find her!"

As Skuld stalked out of the living room, she crushed the television with a parting shot from her mallet. On the way past her bedroom, she noticed a flashing light.  _That doesn't make any sense. That looks like the warning I programmed for a Bug Exhaust Port. Oh no!_  She dashed into the room and stared at the monitor, then began frantically typing, an expression of horror growing on her face. Suddenly, Skuld's latest invention began to glow, the light filling the room in seconds, then spreading....

 

"Thank you for bringing me home, Keiichi-chan. I enjoy riding with you so much." Belldandy exclaimed happily as she lifted her shopping bags from the motorcycle's sidecar.

"I'm always glad to give you a lift, Bel-chan." Keiichi said, smiling happily as he as he took off his helmet and took one bag from her arms - all that she'd allow him to carry for her. "Can I help you with dinner?"

"You can help eat it," Belldandy laughed, reaching for the front door as the light from Skuld's room exploded to engulf the temple grounds.

* * *

The alien had taken refuge on the grounds of an abandoned temple near a college a good ways across Tokyo. The Senshi were even happier than I was that the location made it possible to minimize the risk to civilians while fighting it. We cornered it in one of the bedrooms of the priest's house, and Sailor Moon blasted it to nothingness.

As we were taking our first relieved breaths, Sailor Mercury suddenly yelled in surprise, seconds before the entire world went white. When the light faded, Sailor Mercury and I were the only ones initially able to see, thanks to my Gargoyles and her visor. Where the alien had been was something that looked like a vacuum cleaner after it had been through my laboratory, and a couple feet away was kneeling a girl who looked about the same age as Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, with black hair as long as Setsuna's and wearing a sort of white tunic with red cuffs and collar. Across her back was a long hammer, like a croquet mallet with a spike on the end of the handle. Her hands were positioned as if she was at a keyboard, despite there being no furnishings of any kind in the room. She turned her head and looked up at us with a horrified expression in her brown eyes.

"Holy shit," I murmured in surprise as I saw the blue markings on her forehead and cheeks. "But...she's fictional."

"No, she's real," Sailor Mercury said. "But she's not from this universe."

"Oh, no," Skuld cried. "I didn't manage to stop it in time!"

"URD! What did you do  **this**  time?" a male voice called from the front of the house.

"Now, Keiichi-chan, you don't know it was her. Something about this feels more like Marller's doing." The voice sounded like Ami's sounded when we were alone and sharing our love for each other. That meant it could only be one person.

**I'll check it out, Angel. Make sure the others recover from the light, ok?**

**Be careful, my love. If that really is Belldandy, then Marller may be real, too.**

**If she is, she'll find I'm not as easygoing as they are. I love you.**

**I love you, too.**

Sailor Mercury moved toward Sailor Moon as I left the room and made my way toward the front of the house. Just stepping up onto the floor inside the front door were one of the shortest men I've ever seen, and a woman with hair a lighter shade of brown than mine, beautiful violet-blue eyes, and marks on her cheeks and forehead. I offered henu to the couple and gestured toward the room the others were in.

"Morisato Keiichi, Belldandy, if you'd come this way, we can start to figure out what happened. And if your sister is here as well, she should come, too."

"Who are you, and what happened to our home?" Keiichi asked, stepping in front of Belldandy.

"They call me Demon Hunter. And if Sailor Mercury's initial reading of Skuld is accurate, this isn't your home. It's the equivalent of it in our universe."

"And it's not my fault," declared a woman with platinum blonde hair, green eyes, a tan Zonker Harris would kill for, marks on her cheeks and forehead, and enough raw sex appeal to make me very glad I'd given my heart to Ami. "All I was doing was watching TV."

Keiichi looked at Urd with one of those unmistakable "I'm not so sure I believe you" expressions we've all gotten at one time or another - usually after one of Minako's "great ideas" blows up in our faces. The look on Urd's face confirmed her claim, as far as I was concerned. Keiichi's disbelief hurt her, and she was trying to hide it.

"OK, so you're not the one who did it. And Belldandy thinks Marller might be involved. If she is, she might as well show herself now and save all of us some trouble." I looked around as I spoke, trying to get a feel for the place.

**Rei? Can you feel any demonic presences here?**

**Demonic? Not quite...there's something here...but compared to what we think of as demonic, it's a joke.**

**That's probably her, then. Where is it?**

**Above us. Maybe 100 meters.**

**Thanks.**

"Urd, would you fetch her? She's about 100 meters straight up. We'll be in that bedroom over there." I pointed at the room the Senshi were in. "Skuld was saying something about not being able to stop it when I came out here."

Urd growled and vanished in a puff of smoke. I looked to the others and gestured toward the bedroom. It was pretty obvious Keiichi had been in school far too long. He had just processed what I'd said, and was looking to Belldandy for reassurance.

"  **Your**  universe? Sailor Mercury? But Sailor Mercury's a character in a TV show!" Keiichi sounded remarkably like he'd just had an even bigger surprise than meeting Belldandy.

"He's right, Keiichi-chan. This isn't our world. I have a feeling his friends will be able to help us get home." She smiled lovingly at him, then turned her gaze on me with a smile as warm and open as any that Usagi could offer. "Would you introduce us to your friends, Demon Hunter-san?"

"Just call me Bill, ok?" I smiled and tipped my hat to her, then led them to the bedroom door. Inside, Skuld was wailing miserably. I didn't clearly understand anything she was saying, but the overall impression was that she believed she was here all alone and just wanted to be with her sisters.

Belldandy swept past us all and gathered Skuld into her arms, soon quieting her sister's cries. Keiichi moved to join them after Skuld had settled down, and she stuck her tongue out at him, a lot like Chibi-Usa often did to Usagi.

"I'm reading some residual extradimensional energy on that device," Sailor Mercury announced. "Two different kinds of energy, and they look like they're incompatible."

"Two different kinds?" Skuld, finally calmed enough to hear us clearly, looked shocked, then angry. "URD!"

"It wasn't Urd," Belldandy said gently. "Can't you feel it?"

Skuld whipped out a set of goggles that reminded me of stereotypical Ether Goggles, and studied the vacuum intently. While she was studying it, I moved to rest a hand gently on Sailor Mercury's shoulder.

**Can we duplicate the energies, Angel?**

**The hyperspatial energy will be easy. The other, I'm not so sure of. It's unlike anything any of us have ever used.**

**It's demonic, isn't it?**

**Sort of. But more chaotic and less evil.**

**So it  **was**  Marller.**

**That could be, but we should be certain before saying anything.**

"It looks like demonic energy," Skuld announced. "But that doesn't make sense, unless it was tampered with after I finished it."

"I'd say that's a good bet," Urd announced, appearing in a puff of smoke, holding a woman who looked like she could be her evil sister by the ear. "Tell us what you did, Marller, before I get angry."

**Uh-oh. Urd's voice is far too calm. Be ready for an explosion.**

The others shifted just a little, and Sailors Mars and Jupiter moved closer to Sailor Moon, ready to jump in front of her in an instant. Marller, wearing a pair of black leather jeans that looked as if they'd been painted on and a black T-shirt that was at least two sizes too small and made of spandex, with the logo "Evil means never having to say you're sorry" on it, winced as Urd twisted her ear.

"OK! OK! Just let go! All I did was drop a little time bomb into that...whatever it is!" Marller pointed at the vacuum. "It shouldn't have done...whatever it did."

"What it did, demon, was blow all of you out of your universe and into ours." I stalked toward her and glared into her eyes from close enough to feel her breathing. "Be thankful you're not a demon from  **my**  universe, or you'd already be dead. As it is...if you want to live - much less get home - you're going to have to work  **with**  us, not against us. Is that understood?"

"You did WHAT?" Skuld shrieked, whipping out a device about the size of a softball. "I'm gonna blast you to smithereens!"

"Bring it on, brat!" Marller brought up her hands and a ball of light began forming between them. When I laid the blade of my sword across her throat, she was sufficiently surprised for her energy ball to backfire, stunning her.

"Skuld! Don't!" Belldandy cried, moving to knock the device out of Skuld's hand. "If she was responsible for what happened, we need her to get home."

"And she needs us," Urd added, grinning maliciously at Marller. "This is too rich! If you want to get home, you're going to have to  **help**  us, Marller!"

As Urd broke into maniacal laughter, Marller glared at me. I shrugged and sheathed my sword, then offered her a hand.

"I don't need your help, mortal! You'll pay for your effrontery!" She raised her hands to attack, apparently not realizing how vulnerable she was, still half-sprawled on the floor. I dropped to one knee - ok, I dropped to one fist, and that fist was buried in her belly. Just because I wasn't going to kill her didn't mean I had to put up with any of her shit. The look of shock on her face was definitely worth the effort of leaving her alive.

"I don't think she'll be any more trouble, at least until she gets her breath back. Is she always this...hot-headed?" I moved to join Sailor Mercury and Skuld in examining the vacuum.

"No, sometimes she's worse," Urd laughed. "You should take some lessons from him, Keiichi! On second thought, don't." She looked a little worried as Keiichi's thoughtful gaze moved, from where Marller was trying to catch her breath, to her.

"I can't believe you're really here!" Sailor Moon gushed as she took Belldandy's hands. "I've got  **all**  your manga!"

"Are you sure that's not  **my**  manga?" Sailor Mars growled softly.

"Oh! Well, maybe they are! That doesn't matter, though. Are you  **really**  a Goddess?" Hurricane Usagi was definitely winding up for some major fan-flaking. Not that I could blame her. With the only person in existence who could out-cute Chibi-Usa, someone who could make Michiru and Haruka argue just by taking a deep breath, and the person I'd once compared Ami to for sheer sweetness and perfection, all here in our world, I'd be flaking too if I were as outgoing as she is.

"Yes, I really am a Goddess. My name is Belldandy, and this is my husband, Morisato Keiichi. I'm very pleased to meet you, although I wish it were under different circumstances."

"That's ok, with your sister, Sailor Mercury, and Bill working on it, we should have your...whatever that is...working in no time! I hope." Sailor Moon glanced over toward where the three of us were busily discussing what we'd need to properly diagnose the damage to Skuld's "Hyperdimensional Bug Vacuum".

"You're really Sailor Moon?" Keiichi asked. "And you're Tuxedo Mask...and...only the Inner Senshi?"

"Oh, yeah. The others are...Wait a minute...how do you know about us when you're not from this world?"

"My little sister...," he started, then blushed as Belldandy looked at him with the same kind of gaze Serenity used when she suspected someone of being less than truthful with her. "OK...  **I** have all 200 episodes of your anime on tape, as well as all three movies, plus the Ami-chan Special." He blushed as if he'd just admitted to reading shojo manga.

"Did you hear that, gang? We're anime stars! That's just too cool!" Sailor Moon shrieked excitedly while the others rolled their eyes. Tuxedo Kamen stood over Marller, watching in case she decided to make trouble.

"And we appear in manga in your world?" Belldandy asked thoughtfully. "I wonder how that can be."

"Bill has a theory about that," Sailor Mars said. "It has to do with creative people being able to perceive other realities. You'll have to ask him to explain."

"Whatever it is, we can talk about it better over some cake! Let's all go to Bill and Ami's place!" Usagi's excitement steamrolled right over any possibility of rational thought.

That got my attention. The only way that demon was going into our house was either dead or bound. I stalked over to Marller and looked down at her.

"OK, demon. Here's the scoop. You can either let Belldandy bind you so you can't use your powers, or I can break both your arms and your legs, and cut your tongue out. We can always heal you up when it's time for you to go home." I guess even demons can get scared. She sure did. I'm not sure if it was my threat, or the matter-of-fact way I presented it. Whichever, it worked. Unfortunately, it also shocked the hell out of the Goddesses.

"Would you really do that?" Urd gasped, staring at me like I was some kind of poisonous snake.

"Since I can't be sure you could get home if I kill her, yes. I'm a demon hunter. I kill demons. And bound or crippled is the only way I'm going to let a live one in my home." I shrugged and looked down at Marller. "So which will it be?"

"Belldandy? Keep that maniac away from me!" Marller screamed and scrambled backward across the bedroom floor, trying to put as much room as she could between us. Belldandy moved to her and knelt at her side, trying to calm her, as I'd hoped she would.

**That was cruel, Bill.**

**Yes, Usagi, it was. And it worked exactly as I wanted it to.**

**What do you mean?**

**Look at them. Now she's willing to ask Belldandy for help, and Belldandy's willing to give it. I've got this feeling they're going to have to work pretty closely if they want to get home.**

**You're acting like your daughter again.**

**Well, she's not here. Somebody has to.**

I grinned at Usagi, and she stuck her tongue out at me. We laughed together and moved to join the other Senshi in preparing to teleport home.

* * *

Keiichi stared in shock at the man who'd just threatened Marller. The way he'd made the threat was so totally cold-blooded, it made her pranks seem almost harmless by comparison. And now he and Sailor Moon were laughing? This was  **nothing**  like the anime he remembered. And he was certain if anyone like that man had been in the anime, he'd have remembered him.

He moved to stand behind Belldandy, to offer her his love to counter the evil this man who called himself a demon hunter presented. He'd felt her horror when he'd made his threat, and how it had increased when he'd answered Urd so calmly. For the first time since meeting her, he felt sorry for Marller.

"Bel-chan?" he started, then shut up when he noticed her marks glowing as she chanted and held her hands over Marller.

"There. She is bound," Belldandy murmured, leaning tiredly against Keiichi. "I hope you're satisfied."

Keiichi caught Belldandy as her eyes closed in sleep, and looked toward the Senshi and the demon hunter. They formed a circle, with Tuxedo Kamen, the demon hunter, Keiichi, Belldandy, and Marller in the middle.

"Urd? Skuld? Would you stand with them, too?" Sailor Moon asked gently. "And don't forget your gadget, Skuld."

Urd and Skuld moved to flank Keiichi and Belldandy, watching the demon hunter suspiciously. Skuld had one of her balls in her hand, obviously ready to use it if he so much as twitched in their direction.

"Mercury!"

"Venus!"

"Mars!"

"Jupiter!"

"Moon!"

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

_Odd. That's not how they do it in the anime._  Keiichi looked around in surprise as Skuld's bedroom was replaced by a living room with a shelving unit covering one wall, an entertainment center on another wall, and the remaining walls decorated with ink-painted scrolls and posters.

"If you'll follow me, the nearest spare room is next to my lab. I think we have a bed in it." The demon hunter tossed his fedora at a hat tree by the front door and moved toward a hallway as the Senshi separated.

"You missed, Bill!" Sailor Mercury laughed, as the hat missed and bounced off the wall above the shoe shelves. "Your record is still perfect."

"Oh, well," the demon hunter  _That's right, he said his name is Bill._  shrugged with a warm smile. "It's not a weapon. What can you expect, Angel?"

"Oh, you!" Sailor Mercury hugged him and returned to her mundane appearance. "David! Make sure the power is on in the spare rooms, ok?"

"No problem, Ami," a gentle voice replied from an intercom panel.  _An intercom, in a house? Weird._  "You're wrong, though, Dad. There's no bed in that room. Just a futon."

"Oh. Well, we'll let the demon have it, then. Belldandy deserves a proper bed."

"Upstairs, then. And what are you doing letting a live demon in the house? Ami, are you sure that's Dad?"

"Positive, David. Just ask Edgar."

"I don't like it. But if Skuld is willing to come talk with me, I think I could put up with it for a while."

"You'll have to ask her," Bill laughed. "They're our guests, until we figure out how to get them home. That reminds me...how much ice cream do we have in the kitchen?"

"Not enough. I'm sending out an order right now. What flavors do you like best, Skuld?"

"Huh? I...I like all of them." Skuld looked around the room, gasping in surprise as she saw one of the posters; an anime-style picture of her, Belldandy, and Urd, with angelic wings and covered only by strategically-placed locks of hair, a wing, or their hands. Surprisingly, though, it wasn't in the least hentai: it gave the impression of being almost inspired, like some Christian paintings.

"Isn't it neat?" Usagi asked, bouncing excitedly beside Skuld and looking toward the poster. "That's from the artist who did the manga and anime about you. See? It's even a limited edition print."

"Yeah, and Bill doesn't even follow your family," Ami chuckled with a teasing glance at the demon hunter. "Although one of his characters is someone named Geirahod."

"Geirahod?" Both Urd and Skuld exclaimed in stereo, looking toward Ami with surprised expressions.

"She's crazy!" Skuld exclaimed. "She thinks that going up against a swarm of demons single-handedly is  **fun**  !"

"She's a Valkyrie," Urd grumbled. "Crazy is part of the job description."

"That sounds like Bill's Geirahod," Ami laughed. "She's also a berserker."

"Well, that's a given.  **All**  Valkyries are berserkers," Urd said. "And she's a character?"

"I'm a writer," Bill said with a shrug as he walked over to pick up his hat and hang it on the coat tree, followed by his trenchcoat. "Geirahod's one of the heroes in my books."

"Geirahod?" Usagi asked, looking at Bill in confusion. "Who's that?"

"Elsie," Bill said, grinning. "Remember her?"

"  **Oh!**  The mad scientist berserker Valkyrie. Right!" Usagi laughed as her eyes lit up with understanding. "But we're being rude, talking about your books when poor Keiichi's holding Belldandy patiently. How long do you think she'll need to sleep, Keiichi-san?"

"If it was as hard to bind Marller as the last time she did it, she won't wake up until tomorrow," Keiichi murmured, moving to keep Urd and Skuld nearby and watching Bill suspiciously.

"It shouldn't have been as hard," Marller murmured, keeping the others between her and that maniac who'd threatened to cripple her. "I didn't fight her."

"Good," Bill said. "In that case, would you like some tea? If I know Makoto, she already has the water boiling."

"Actually, I already have a pot ready," Makoto said, coming into the living room from the hallway. "Setsuna made it before we got home."

"Thanks, Pumpkin," Bill murmured, almost too softly to hear, but clearly enough to surprise Keiichi. He obviously wasn't talking to Makoto when he said that, but who? Setsuna?

"I don't understand you," Marller growled at Bill, unsuccessfully trying to hide her confusion. "First you threaten to cripple me, now you're offering me tea?"

"That's right. I threatened to cripple you because you're not from this universe. While I can kill demons from this universe without worrying about the consequences, the fact that your bomb interacted with Skuld's vacuum to throw all of you here means that not only is there the worry of how my killing you here would throw your universe out of whack, there's also the problem that we may need you to throw another bomb into the works to generate the portal back to your universe." Bill shrugged. "And since you let Belldandy bind you, you're no more a menace to my family than a tailless kitsune is. Therefore, as long as you're here, I'll treat you as a guest. Do you think you can handle that?"

"This is just too weird. I need a drink. And  **not**  tea. Something stronger. A lot stronger." Marller shook her head slowly, as if trying to come to grips with what was going on. Keiichi really couldn't blame her.

"Well, if you can hang on until we get Belldandy in bed, I may be able to help you with that. Sorry, Urd. We don't keep much sake around here. You'll have to settle for mead, beer, or Lochanorra." Bill looked at Keiichi. "Can you manage her on your own, or would you like some help getting up the stairs?"

"I can manage," Keiichi said stubbornly, shifting Belldandy in his arms so her head was resting on his shoulder. Bill shrugged and headed for the stairs. Keiichi followed, up the stairs and into an open space, as large as the living room, on the second floor.

"David, which spare room has the queen size bed in it?"

"First one on the left. Fluorite got the last of his stuff out of it yesterday."

Keiichi noticed intercom panels by every door off this space. He followed Bill to a doorway near the front of the house, which Bill opened then stood beside so he could carry Belldandy in  _. I don't know what to think of him. I wish you were awake, Bel-chan. I really need your wisdom right now._

"Bathroom's the door straight ahead at the top of the stairs. If you need anything, just ask David."

"Who's David? And why is he talking over the intercom?"

"He's my son. He's talking over the intercom because he's a computer. He may not be as big as Yggdrasil, but he's alive. See you downstairs, eh?" Bill headed for the stairs, leaving Keiichi to tuck Belldandy in and wonder what kind of mess they were in now.

* * *

When I got back downstairs, everyone else was relaxing over some of Makoto's cake. Skuld and Usagi were happily comparing favorite ice cream treats, and Urd was snickering as she read a particularly perverted AMS dojinshi. Marller saw me and froze, like a rabbit under the shadow of a hawk.

**This isn't good, beloved. Scared people do stupid things.**

**I know, Angel. If I hadn't had to scare her to get her to turn to Belldandy for help, it would have made things a lot easier.**

**You're going to have to do something about it.**

**I know, I know...I scared her, so I have to un-scare her, somehow. It'd be a whole lot easier if I could just kill her and be done with it.**

**But she's not one of  **our**  demons.**

**I know. That's why she's still alive.**

**You'll figure it out.**

Ami wrapped her arms around my left arm and looked up at me with so much faith in her gaze I couldn't help blushing. With her believing in me so strongly, I had to at least  **try**  to calm the demon. I shared a kiss with her, and moved toward Marller. Marller, naturally, tried to scuttle away from me as I approached, only to back right into Mamoru, who gripped her arms and held her in place. When I got close enough to touch her, she turned her head away with a soft whimper.

"Marller, just listen to me, ok?" I reached out and turned her head to look at me. The terror in her eyes was actually kind of depressing. I don't like to see that in anything's eyes, even if it's something I'm killing. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Marller squeaked, and struggled to escape Mamoru's grasp. Luckily, it was pretty apparent she'd spent so many years relying on her supernatural powers to bail her out of stuff that her physical capabilities were pretty sad. When she realized she couldn't escape, she broke: she let out her terror in deep, wrenching sobs.

"Oh, shit," I muttered, then glanced over toward the others. I noticed with relief that Urd was already on her feet. "Urd, would you please help her? I know you're the closest to her, and she's too scared of me to even hear me offer her a promise."

Urd nodded and swept in to take her out of Mamoru's grasp. As she held the demon in her arms, her sobs slowly subsided. Marller grasped her as if she were a life preserver, while Urd crooned softly to her and stroked her hair. Eventually, Urd nodded to me.

"Marller, will you listen to me now? You know Urd can protect you, so you're safe. If you understand, just nod, ok?" It was hard to think of her as a demon when she was so frightened - especially given that her aura of evil really was as pathetic as Rei had described. In  **our**  world, she was barely as evil as a dark faerie. Even the most minor demon would chew her up and spit her out.

Marller nodded, glanced my way, and squeaked in fear before trying to hide herself in Urd's arms. I gave a heavy sigh; my expression must have surprised Urd, given the look she gave me before murmuring softly to Marller.

"Marller, I promise that I will do nothing to harm - or even hurt - you, as long as you promise you won't try any of your demonic tricks. Now that I can see you more clearly, I realize you're not like one of  **our**  demons. I'm going to have to protect you from them, just like I would a human. If you'll let me, I'd like to try and make you feel welcome for as long as you're here. Will you let me do that?"

Marller looked at me with more surprise than Urd had a moment before, and then - questioningly - back up at Urd.

"He's telling the truth, Mara. If you want me to witness the promise, I will."

"But...what he threatened...even one of my superiors wouldn't do those things! That's just so...."

"If your superiors are as evil as you are, I'm not surprised. In this world, you're barely as evil as one of the dark fae. A demon from this world is so much more evil than you, you'd look like a saint by comparison."

"Dark fae?" Marller asked - for both of them. From their expressions, it appeared the concept was outside of their universe.

"Yeah. Dark fae. Like banshees, tommyknockers, svartalf, trolls, things like that."

"Those are all annoying, but I wouldn't call them dark," Urd said. "More like a pain in the butt."

"That's in your world, apparently. In this world, they're as evil as Marller - and real demons compare to her the way she compares to Belldandy."

"Oh." Urd's voice was small as she considered the implications. Marller's eyes grew as big as Skuld's, and she whimpered softly.

"So...Marller, I'd like to apologize for scaring you the way I did. My only excuse is that I was treating you the way I'd treat one of  **our**  demons if I was forced to let it live." I offered her a hand and an encouraging smile. "I'd like to invite you to share in our hospitality; to be a guest, not a prisoner. Who knows? You might decide you like it."

"  **We'd**  like to invite you," Ami said as she slipped her arms around me. "What Bill said applies to me, too. If you're willing to be our guest, we'd like to make you welcome."

* * *

Belldandy opened her eyes and looked around to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was binding Marller, and being surprised when she didn't resist. Even without resistance, a binding that powerful took a lot out of her. Now she felt Keiichi's hands holding hers, and smiled contentedly. As long as she was with him, everything would be all right.

"Bel-chan? How do you feel?" He sounded worried and confused, so she sat up and gave him a gentle kiss.

"I'm alright, Keiichi-chan. What's wrong?" She smiled at him, feeling her love rise within her as he relaxed to her presence.

"It's that man. Bill. He's...." He gave up, obviously unable to describe how he felt.

"He's as hard as Tyr. You've never met him. He's one of the Aesir, and absolutely inflexible when it comes to fighting evil. Tyr would have killed Marller the first time she troubled us, if he'd been with us. He wouldn't have seen how harmless she ultimately is - just that she's a demon and therefore must be destroyed."

"That sounds like this guy, all right. How can you trust someone like that?" Keiichi's worry bothered her; she slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

"He's basically good, Kei-chan. We just have to find a way to teach him that good and inflexible are not the same. Where is everyone else?"

"Downstairs. We're in his and Sailor Mercury's house. It's kind of weird, seeing all of them in reality - and then him and Sailor Mercury together. It's not something I'd expect of her."

"Any more than you'd expected me to say 'yes' when you asked me to marry you?" Belldandy teased him gently, hoping it would lighten his mood a little. She was rewarded by his blush and smile. His insecurity about being "just a mortal" still held him, even after four years of marriage - but at least he'd gotten far enough through it to enjoy it when she teased him about it.

"I don't know," Keiichi murmured. "You're everything I dream of...my heart, my light, my reason for living."

"As you are for me," she whispered happily. "As they are for each other. I think we should join the rest, don't you?"

"If you think so," Keiichi murmured, stroking her hair soothingly - as much to sooth himself as her, she thought.

_He's just too basically nice to face things like this. I hope I can help him recover quickly._

Keiichi helped her to her feet; when she twined her fingers in his, he returned her loving smile and led her toward the door.

* * *

We were scattered around the room, relaxing after one of Makoto's wonderful dinners. Bill was cuddling Ami as they talked with Marller. Urd was loudly laughing with Minako - probably over some idol they both thought was hot; Skuld was hunched over her vacuum with some tools she'd borrowed from Bill's lab.

**Usagi? Would you like to bring Hotaru over to Bill's house?**

**Sure, Mom. What's up?**

**We have guests, and one of them is your age. I think she might like a friend.**

**Really? Cool! What's her name?**

**Skuld.**

**That's a weird name. It sounds like something from one of your manga.**

**That's because it  **is**  something from one of my manga.**

**Say what? We're on our way.**

**Don't worry, Spore. She's not going anywhere before you get here.**

**Pbbbt!**

I laughed as I cut the connection and leaned against Mamoru. It was so good to have her here, even though it had taken some adjusting to think of her as old enough to fall in love. Rei glanced our way with so much longing in her eyes I just had to reach out to invite her over. When she leaned against me so I could wrap an arm around her, the world felt complete.

"That leaves Makoto all alone, Dumpling," Mamoru murmured teasingly into my ear, leaving me giggling as his lips tickled me. "Are you sure you don't want to invite her to join us, too?"

"Pbbbt!" I twisted my head so I could give him a proper raspberry. "You just want to lure them all into your harem."

"I do? Here I thought it was  **your**  harem we were talking about." Mamoru used his most innocent tone of voice and expression as he spoke. Rei giggled and looked up so she could stick her tongue out at him. I grabbed the nearest pillow and started hitting him over the head with it.

"You are  **bad**  ! I should punish you for that!" It was hard to make myself understood, I was laughing so hard. He does that to me.

He laughed and caught my hand, plucked the pillow out of it, and tossed it away as he drew me in for a kiss that made it impossible to do anything but feel my love for him. Then a pillow hit us both in the head, Rei let out a shriek of laughter, and the war was on. I guess that's why Ami and Bill keep so many pillows in the living room. It seems as if we end up in a pillow fight every time we're here.

"Pillow fight! All right!" Chibi-Usa laughed from the front door. I guessed Setsuna had brought them here, since they were still staying in Michiru's house, as far as I knew. She had her shoes off in an instant and was diving for the nearest pillow with so much enthusiasm I had to laugh.

Hotaru followed, much more sedately - at least until the first pillow hit her. She's still the most reserved of us, even after a year of the Spore's influence - but at least she felt loved enough to open up when encouraged. Like now - when that pillow hit her, her face went from shocked to calculating in an instant, and she laughed as she snatched it up to join in the fight.

The first any of us knew Belldandy was awake was when Skuld suddenly shrieked happily and launched herself across the room to embrace her.

"Oneesama! You're awake! You've got to try Mako-chan's cake! It's almost as good as yours!" She kind of reminded me of what Chibi-Usa was like when she let herself go and just had fun. Then she looked at Keiichi and stuck her tongue out at him with an audible "Biiih!" I had to laugh at that. That was so much like the Spore, I couldn't stop myself.

"She reminds you of someone, doesn't she?" Mamoru asked, hugging me from behind. "She reminds me of her, too. The question is, will Chibi-Usa see the resemblance?"

"Hey, Sprout! Look at that! Someone else who acts like you! Will the world be able to stand it?" Bill grinned as he teased my daughter.

"Bill no baka!" she shouted back, then followed up by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ah! I'm cut to the heart! Wounded to the core!" he declaimed melodramatically as he clutched his chest and fell backwards - into Marller's arms. She looked down at him with a surprised expression, then at Ami.

"Is your husband always like this?" Marller asked, holding Bill as if she didn't quite know what to do with him.

"No," Ami laughed, as Bill reached up to pull her down for a kiss. "Sometimes he's worse."

Marller looked toward Belldandy with a "what do I do  **now**  ?" expression on her face. Belldandy smiled and looked lovingly into Keiichi's eyes.

"I'm glad to see the two of you have settled your differences," Belldandy said as she and Keiichi walked toward Marller. "We were worried."

"Well, he's still a maniac," Marller said, smiling down at the top of Bill's head.

"And she's still a menace," he shot back with a grin. "But I think we can get along."

Marller stuck her tongue out and smacked him over the head with a pillow. Ami laughed and jumped back out of the way, leaving Bill to deal with it on his own. Belldandy laughed, a musical sound that made it easy to believe all was right with the world.

Hotaru and Chibi-Usa descended on Skuld together, with Usagi laughing warmly as she introduced her sweetheart. Skuld looked surprised, and whipped out her goggles to stare at Hotaru through them. At the look on her face, I started to go over to join them, but Mamoru held me firmly and nuzzled my ear while whispering softly to me.

"Don't you think they'll do better if they work this out for themselves, Dumpling? You know Chibi-Usa will never let anything happen to Hotaru, and she'd probably be upset if you butted in."

He was right - and his nuzzling was distracting. I leaned back against him with a sigh and let him continue distracting me. Besides, I noticed Rei and Makoto had collapsed together when the pillow fight had run down, and I was hoping something would come of it. I remembered when she'd been attracted to Haruka, and still wasn't sure whether it was romantically or just because Haruka was so much like her in some ways. It looked like Rei wasn't sure, either. Either way, I couldn't help but wish them the best.

* * *

Marller looked down at this strange human who had, just a few hours earlier, threatened to cripple her - and who now was treating her like a friend. None of this made any sense, but she hadn't felt this good since she and Urd had been young. Not for the first time, she cursed the fate that had made Urd a goddess and her a demon.

When she hit him over the head with a pillow, he just laughed and fell to the floor, sticking his tongue out at her the way Skuld did so frequently to Keiichi. The feelings she was experiencing were confusing; so confusing she didn't know how to deal with them.

"You...how am I supposed to deal with you?" she growled at the laughing human. She had to think of him as just a human, or she might actually start to develop a fondness for him.

"Oh, I don't know...you could always try dancing with me." He rolled to his feet like some crazy martial artist and bowed toward her as music began playing over the house's intercom system.

* * *

I didn't know quite what to think. Usagi, Rei, and Bill all seemed to know about the strangers, and he'd reacted to the one with the v-shaped marks on her forehead as if she were a demon. Hell, he'd even called her a demon when he'd threatened to cripple her. But now he was laughing with her like she was one of us. Then, seeing Rei leaning against Usagi like that had stirred feelings I haven't felt since reaching an understanding with Haruka. I was glad when the pillow fight started.

When Skuld launched herself across the room at Belldandy, we all stopped and stared in surprise. The shriek she'd emitted sounded an awful lot like Chibi-Usa's shriek when she was pouncing on Usagi or Mamoru. I decided I was going to have to get Belldandy to do some cooking with me, so I could see just how good she really is.

When the pillow fight stopped, Rei was next to me; I sank down onto a pillow and she followed me, flashing a warm smile.

"I think it'll all work out, Mako-chan. Look at how Belldandy and Marller are reacting."

If she knew what being close to her like this does to me...I couldn't take her from Usagi. I'd never forgive myself if I did that. I started to shift away from her, and she laid a hand on mine.

"Don't, Mako-chan. Please? If you'd rather...I went away...I will. But I don't want you to think you have to go. But I have to know."

"What about Usagi?"

"Look at her, Mako-chan. Does she look like she's unhappy with my being here? Do you remember when you were so close to Haruka? I've wondered...since then."

She's wondered since then? If only she knew...if only  **I**  knew. I still don't know exactly what I felt, about Haruka or about any other woman. I think that's why she was so careful to let me down gently. I looked into Rei's eyes and saw the same love I've always seen there - and something more. I raised my hand to her cheek, just as David started playing some music.

As the music played, Rei blushed and ducked her head. It didn't make any sense to me; the music sounded like Michiru and Haruka. When the singing began, it suddenly made lots of sense. Somehow, David had managed to get a recording of Rei singing with them - and her voice was as beautiful as ever.

"I'm gonna kill him," Rei growled softly.

"Kill him? Why? It's beautiful. As beautiful as you are." I smiled and squeezed her hand.

"That was private, that's why. I didn't know anyone was recording it. And I'll bet they didn't know, either."

"I don't think David would play it if there wasn't a good reason. At least, I hope he wouldn't." I smiled at her and touched her lips with a fingertip. "Why don't you just lean back and watch the show?"

She blushed and leaned back against me, and we watched as Bill danced across the living room with the demon. Usagi and Mamoru rose to join them, followed quickly by Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. When Belldandy and Keiichi joined in, Ami came over to settle beside us. Minako had returned to chattering with Urd, so it was just the three of us.

"So what do you two think? Should I be jealous, or should we jump him again and remind him where he belongs?" Ami laughed, watching Bill dance with the demon.

"At least she's not quivering in terror anymore," I said. "And you know how faithful he is."

"I know," Ami chuckled. "That's why I'm not worried. So what about you two, huh?" She smiled at us and leaned over to kiss both of our cheeks. "Usagi's not the only one who's happy to see the two of you together. No matter how it turns out."

"Give us some time?" Rei asked quietly. "We'd really rather not be Minako'ed."

"You know me better than that, Rei," Ami laughed softly. "Now if you two will excuse me, I have to go rescue my husband."

Rei and I laughed together as Ami left us. Bill didn't  **look**  like he needed rescuing, but we knew how much she enjoyed dancing with him. I tugged Rei to her feet and smiled down at her when she looked up. She looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist giving her a kiss as we began to dance.

The music continued, with Rei blushing anew as each song began and her voice came through the speakers. Sometime during the music, Usagi cut in and stole Rei, while Mamoru swept me away.

"Thanks, Makoto. Seeing Rei smile means a lot to me - to both of us." He's so kind, it's easy to see how someone could fall in love with him. I looked up and felt myself blushing.

"It means a lot to me, too. But won't Usagi be unhappy?" I knew how close she and Rei had become in the last year, and I didn't want to interfere with that.

"We thought you'd be worried about that," Mamoru chuckled softly. "That's why she's with Rei right now. What Usagi wants - what both of us want - is for Rei to know she's loved, and for you both to feel free to decide what your feelings for each other are without anyone interfering."

"Boy, am I glad you don't look like my old senpai," I laughed softly as I rested my head on his chest. "Otherwise, I think I'd risk making Usagi mad after a speech like that."

"Bad girl," he laughed, giving me a quick squeeze before steering us back toward Usagi and Rei. As we swapped partners, Rei suddenly stood still, staring into space above the front door. The music stopped dead, and we all waited for her to speak.

"There's something evil...out front. Something demonic."

"David! Cameras!" Bill snapped, and the television came on, showing the view in front of the house. The view was clear, except for one figure on the sidewalk outside the front gate. Whoever it was, was trying to get into the yard, but looked as if they were running into an invisible wall. I thought that was likely, given Bill's business. This place was probably as heavily warded as the shrine.

"That's it!" Rei exclaimed. "Whoever it is feels familiar."

"Venus, keep her from getting killed. Saturn, be ready to heal her. Ami...." Ami barely had time to get into position to catch him before Bill collapsed like a bag of rice. No matter how many times I see him do that, it's still disconcerting.

Minako and Hotaru transformed and ran for the front door. I caught Rei and steered her toward Usagi and Mamoru. The Goddesses gathered together, a few feet away from us, while Marller hovered indecisively between them and Ami.

On the screen, the figure screamed - a far too familiar scream - and collapsed. As it collapsed, another figure ran into view and caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Oh no, not again," Usagi whispered sadly. I'm sure we all felt the same. I know I did. Why is it that every time a new enemy shows up, she's the one to be targeted?

"There's got to be something about her that attracts them," Rei murmured sadly. "We're going to have to find out what it is if she's ever going to have a chance of peace."

"For now, we're going to have to figure out how to keep Umino from blabbing," I growled, pressing Rei into Usagi's arms and heading for the door. "I'll just have a word with him."

The door burst open before I could get to it, and Umino came in with Naru in his arms. The look in his eyes made it clear the only thing he wanted to talk about was her condition. Ami joined me as I took her from his arms and laid her on some pillows that had ended up piled together.

"Please help her?" Umino begged tearfully. I took his arm and steered him toward where Chibi-Usa had a cup of tea waiting. Once I was sure he wasn't going to drop or spill the tea, I turned to look back toward Ami and Naru.

Belldandy was kneeling beside them, holding her hands over Naru's heart. A glow was coming from between her hands - a glow that looked an awful lot like the Silver Crystal's glow. The glow sank into Naru's body and vanished; Belldandy sank back on her heels, into Keiichi's arms.

When Naru's eyes opened, I almost wish they hadn't. It wasn't that there was any pain in them, because there wasn't. Instead, they were empty - completely vacant - as if she wasn't there anymore. Even with everything I've seen as Sailor Jupiter, there's nothing more horrible than that vacant stare. I looked up at Usagi, and saw she was feeling the same horror.

"What happened?" Marller asked from behind me. "What's wrong with her?"

"She was possessed," Rei growled softly. "By a demon."

"A demon? But that's not supposed to happen! It never happened to anyone I've possessed!" Marller looked as shocked as she sounded. "What kind of monster could do that?"

"An imp," Bill groaned. He was just sitting up where Ami had lowered him to the floor. "Just a fucking imp. Didn't take any effort at all to kill it, but the damage was already done."

"An imp? But imps are harmless!" Marller exclaimed in disbelief. "How could this happen?"

"Go in and see for yourself. I tried to find her, but wherever she is, I can't go." He joined us around Naru and gently brushed her hair back. Ever since the day he promised to kill her if Fluorite managed to capture her again, he's been kind of like a big brother to her. It was obvious he was grasping for any hope - any at all.

"I can't," Marller murmured. "Not as long as I'm bound. I wish I could. This isn't right."

"It's evil. It's what demons do. At least, it's what they do in  **this**  world." He hung his head, but I could see the tears on his cheeks. "And it was just a damned imp. Not even a dangerous demon. I wish you  **could**  see what it did to her."

"Belldandy? You've got to release me. I've got to see. Maybe I can find her!" Marller grabbed Belldandy's hands and pleaded, her face an anguished mask. Belldandy looked from her to Bill. I wasn't so sure Belldandy could do it. She looked almost as drained as Usagi is after using the Crystal.

"If you're not too tired," Bill murmured. "She gave her promise, and Urd witnessed it. If she can help . . .."

Belldandy nodded and reached out to touch Marller's forehead. The marks on her face glowed, and a moment later the marks on Marller's forehead glowed.

"Be careful, Mara," she murmured. "If she wakes while you're in her, you could be trapped."

"Better that, than this," Marller growled softly. It was kind of hard to believe she was a demon, the way she was reacting to this. But Bill, Rei, and Usagi all seemed to be convinced she was, and they knew more about these people than any of the rest of us.

Marller's marks began glowing as she gazed into Naru's eyes, and she collapsed into Bill's arms. He arranged her on the floor beside Naru and covered them both with a blanket.

"All we can do now is wait. And pray," he murmured, settling back into Ami's arms.

* * *

The landscape inside Naru's head was bleak and dismal. Everywhere Marller looked, she saw memories of attacks on her body and soul, as far back as her childhood. The creatures she'd been attacked by seemed to range from a possessed friend to demons of a kind Marller had never seen before. What amazed her, even more than the vile nature of the threats, was how Naru kept coming back, with a bravery that rivaled Keiichi's - and she didn't have three Goddesses to protect her. A heart this brave did not deserve to suffer the way she had.

_You don't know me, Naru, but I'm not going to let you be destroyed by this. I will find you, no matter what it costs._

Marller searched, finding only darkness and sorrow everywhere she looked. The older memories were - oddly enough - easiest to unearth; as she came closer to the present, the memories were mingled with greater and greater amounts of despair. The despair kept mounting with each remembered attack, until even approaching a memory was like wading through a pit of tar. Marller's anger rose in concert with Naru's despair, until her marks glowed with her rage. If this was what demons were like on this world, SHE would do her best to destroy them.

Her journey came to an abrupt halt when she encountered a wall that stretched in all directions, farther than she could sense. Her rage was so great by the time she reached it that she simply dove into it, intending to blast her way through. The shock of contact blasted her back, whimpering with the horror of what the wall contained.

_Oh, Hel...what happened in this world? How could they have gone so wrong?_

Marller slowly uncurled as she fought down the memories Naru had created the wall from. That a demon had ravaged her soul so brutally was horrifying enough, but that she had survived the experience was even more horrible. There had to be some way through the wall; she knew that if SHE had experienced what Naru had, she'd have made the wall...could that be the answer?

* * *

We were stuck. Marller was in Naru's head, and all we could do was pray she could bring her back. If we'd been at the shrine, Grandfather and Yuuichiro could have helped me reach her, but I couldn't do it on my own; I'm not nearly as adept out of my body as Bill is - and I wouldn't risk someone else's soul on my inexperience. The one thing I could do was watch them, so if - no, I had to believe in  **when**  - they came back, we'd be ready to help them.

"Will she be all right?" Umino asked unsteadily. I had to feel for him. He really did love Naru, and he had to be feeling as helpless as we did right now.

"I hope so," Bill said softly. "Marller's our best chance right now. We have to give her time to work."

"Marller? Like...the demon from Aa! Megamisama!? But...how can you trust a demon?" Umino didn't sound nearly as incredulous as I'd expected - and his question was a good one, given that he hadn't been there from the beginning like we had.

"She gave us her word. I trust her. And you know what I think of demons." I almost had to laugh at that. If Umino hadn't figured out what Bill thinks of demons by now, he definitely was not suited for journalism.

"Sailor Moon, do you trust her?"

_Shit. Does **everyone**  know who we are? And how long has he known?_

"Bill trusts her," Usagi said softly. "If he trusts her, with his hatred for demons, then I trust her. All we can do is wait. And pray."

Umino nodded and moved to take Naru's hand, only to be stopped by Urd.

"Don't. If you disturb her, they could both be lost forever." Urd's voice was gentle, understanding, and a lot less sensuous than I'd expected. "Have faith in her. Have faith in them both."

"Trust her," Bill murmured. "Please, Umino. I don't want to have to keep the promise I made a year ago. But if Marller can't bring her back, it'll be the only way to free her."

I didn't want him to have to keep that promise, either. But if Marller couldn't bring her back, killing her would be the only way to free her. Even if Marller did succeed, we'd have to fight to keep her from killing herself. What Fluorite had done to her had driven her to the edge, but I was afraid this had driven her over it. No, let's be honest. I knew this had driven her over the edge. But would we be able to bring her back? I didn't want to think of the likely answer.

**David, give me a telephone connection, please.**

**Sure, Rei. Where to?**

**The shrine.**

I shivered and leaned against Makoto. She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled my temple. Feeling her breath stir my hair helped - it distracted me from worrying about Naru, at least a little.

"Thanks, Mako-chan," I whispered, covering her hands with my own.

**Hikawa Shrine. How may I help you?**

**Yuuichiro! Is Grandfather there?**

**Rei? What's wrong? You sound upset.**

**I need your help. And Grandfather's. Please get him for me?**

**All right. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.**

"It'll be ok," Makoto whispered, squeezing me gently. "Won't it?"

"I hope so. I'm trying to get Grandfather right now."

**Rei? What is it? Yuuichiro said you sound upset.**

**It's Naru, Grandfather. She's been possessed. We got rid of the demon, but now she won't come back.**

**You may need someone to lead her back. Can you do that?**

**I can't, but someone who can is already trying. Isn't there anything more we can do?**

**Pray. We'll do all we can from here. Stay with her, Rei. It'll make it easier for us.**

**Thank you, Grandfather. I hate fighting an enemy I can't touch.**

**There are some battles even Sailor Mars can't fight. This sounds like one of them. Just remember that love and friendship are powerful weapons - and sometimes the only ones that will work.**

**I'll try. I'm scared, Grandfather. Even if we bring her back, she's been hurt so many times, and you know what Bill had to promise to keep her from killing herself the last time.**

**Love and friendship, Rei. Keep your focus on that, and you'll be able to help her through. In the end, she has to choose to live - but you can give her reasons to make that choice. I'd better go and feed the fire. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.**

**Thank you, Grandfather. I'll tell the others.**

**Good girl. I have faith in you.**

"Rei?" Makoto murmured gently, nuzzling my ear and squeezing my hands. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Mako-chan. Grandfather and Yuuichiro are going to give us all the help they can from the shrine." I let her hold me, glad that my hopes hadn't turned out false. I needed someone right now...Usagi would have been my first choice, but Makoto was so warm...so strong...so real - and willing to accept me as I am.

Minako looked wistfully at the rest of us; she was the only one here who didn't have someone to lean on. Even though she makes me almost as crazy as Usagi, I couldn't just leave her looking sad like that. I offered her a hand; a moment later, I saw Makoto's hand extended with mine. Minako looked surprised, then smiled radiantly and moved to join us.

"Are you sure I'm not intruding?" she asked as she knelt beside us. We answered by taking her hands and pulling her close.

"Now is not the time to be alone, Mina-chan. Grandfather just reminded me that love and friendship are the most powerful weapons we have - and I'm sure we're going to need them before the night is out."

"We may not be idols, but we're your friends, Mina-chan. We love you." Makoto claims she's not good at expressing her feelings. That sounded like a pretty good expression to me. It must have to Minako, too. Her smile grew until it was almost as wonderful as Usagi's, and she leaned into our arms with a happy sigh.

Belldandy was sleeping in Keiichi's arms. I guess she wasn't as recovered as we'd thought when she came downstairs. Still, as long as we didn't have any more unwelcome surprises tonight, she could recover in peace. Urd and Skuld were watching Naru and Marller intently - Urd with a worried expression, and Skuld through her goggles. I wondered what she was seeing, or if she was seeing anything at all.

Chibi-Usa was trying to comfort Hotaru; she looked as if she was remembering when Mistress 9 had possessed her. I wished I could do something to ease her mind, but had to settle for praying that Chibi-Usa could do it with her love. As I prayed, I felt echoes of the Sacred Flame around me. I knew that Grandfather and Yuuichiro were doing their best to help, and hoped it would be enough.

* * *

_I hope she finds Naru soon. I've never seen anyone gone this long before._

Skuld watched intently, hoping she'd made her goggles sensitive enough to give her warning of Marller and Naru's return in time to warn everyone else. She didn't know what this promise was that nobody wanted to keep, but if they didn't return, the only way to free them would be...she looked up in shock and stared at Bill. He'd promised to kill her? What could be so horrible that she would demand a promise like that?

Bill was leaning against Ami the way Belldandy so often leaned against Keiichi. Skuld still didn't like it - her sister with a mortal, no matter how nice he was - but Belldandy so obviously loved him that she'd given up fighting it. Besides, Keiichi had done everything short of adopting her in his attempts to convince her that he liked her, too. It was kind of nice to have a big brother, even if he was just a mortal.

**What's wrong, Skuld? You looked as if someone just punched you in the gut.**

**You promised her...wait a minute! How are you doing this?**

**It's not easy. It'd be a lot easier if I were out of my body. And it's a whole lot easier with Ami - but telepathy is a kind of magic associated with Mercury.**

**You're sure full of surprises. Did you actually promise her you'd kill her?**

**You figured it out, eh? Yeah. It was the only way to keep her from killing herself the last time something like this happened.**

**The last time? Does this happen a lot?**

**She attracts monsters the way a magnet attracts iron. Ever since she was a kid, every time a monster shows up, there's at least a one in four chance she'll be one of its victims.**

**Wow. I thought the show exaggerated it. It's really that bad?**

**Yeah. That's why I'm praying for Marller to succeed. Naru's kind of like a little sister to me.**

**Why didn't you go in after her?**

**I don't know how. And even if I did, I'm not sure I could. Just because I can leave my body doesn't mean I can go into someone else's. And going into someone else's mind is right out. I might as well wish to be a god as try something like that.**

**I wonder if that's a real limitation, or a self-imposed one.**

**Either way, it doesn't help Naru. Or Marller.**

**You sound as worried for Marller as for Naru. Are you sure it's safe to worry about a demon?**

**She's not like the demons in this world. I don't know - I feel like I want to protect her from what she's certain to discover here.**

**You're weird, do you know that?**

**Yup. That's me: a whirling vortex of weirdness.**

He grinned at her; without thinking, she stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled and sank against Ami, looking a lot more tired than he had before he'd contacted her. What was it about these mortals that made them so likable? Even the really scary one - Hotaru - was likable. Definitely not what she'd expected from an avatar of the God of Ruin.

 

Four hours had passed since Marller had gone into Naru, and there was still no sign of them. Skuld looked over at Urd, who shook her head quietly, looking just as worried as she felt. The longer this went on, the more it bothered her - and no matter how much she tried to think of a better alternative, the more time passed, the more worried she felt.

* * *

I could feel when Bill reached out to Skuld, and when he collapsed against me, I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. He's not as good with telepathy as I am, and it takes a lot of energy for him to do it. At least he'd managed to make Skuld smile, though. I felt him reach up stroke my hair and sighed happily. He could be so loving; I covered his hand with my own and bent my head to return his kiss.

"Maybe you can help her, Angel," he murmured softly. I couldn't resist him when he called me that - even if I did tease him a lot about putting me on a pedestal. "Your visor is programmed to analyze a lot of stuff like this, right? Maybe you can see something she can't."

"You have a point, love." He did, too. As far as we could tell, they'd never had to deal with anything like this, so Skuld wasn't likely to have programmed her goggles for it.

**I'm going to use my visor, everyone.**

"Mercury Crystal Power, MAKE UP!"

As soon as I'd transformed, I activated my visor and studied Naru and Marller. It was almost like looking at Bill's body when he's out of it - except that their energy levels were so low I almost couldn't measure them. If they didn't come back soon, I was afraid they wouldn't come back at all. We had to come up with something soon, or they would both be dead.

**Edgar, David, link with my computer.**

**Understood.**

**You got it, Ami.**

I retrieved my computer and started work. With Edgar and David linked in, the analysis went a lot faster than it would have if I'd been working alone. The answer we came up with wasn't reassuring at all. At the rate their energy was fading, if they didn't come back within the next fifteen minutes, the only chance they had of ever coming back was if we killed them. I couldn't accept that solution; we started work again, looking for  **any**  alternative that would let us rescue them.

**Ami, what if we gave them an energy infusion?**

**Have you done a projection?**

**This is what it looks like.**

Edgar's data assumed far less than the amount of energy Serenity could draw from the Silver Crystal, so it was possible we could do it. With two goddesses and Usagi here, I was certain we could come up with the necessary energy. If it worked, we could extend their survival time as long as necessary.

"Urd, do you have any of your restorative incense with you? Or any other restorative that doesn't need to be swallowed?" Some of her incense would be the best choice, if she had it. They could take it in by breathing, and it would continue to support them as long as it was burning.

"Uh...let me look." Urd sounded distracted, as if my question had brought her back from a long way away. I suppose I should have expected that. Of the three, she was the closest to Marller, despite their ongoing rivalry. She searched through her outfit, accessing several hyperspatial pockets before finally retrieving a bundle of incense coils. After sorting through the bundle, she finally held up one coil. "This one."

While I sighed in relief, Setsuna appeared with a length of string and a thumbtack. While she was hanging the incense over them, I searched through the otaku cabinet for some matches I remembered Bill had dropped there a couple weeks before. By the time I found them and returned, Rei had already lit the incense. She smiled and shrugged before returning to wait with Makoto and Minako.

**Hey, I'd be a pretty sad priestess if I couldn't even light a fire, don't you think?**

**Thanks, Rei. Now we just need to pray it works.**

**What is it?**

**Hopefully, enough energy to keep them from dying before they find their way back to us.**

I studied Naru and Marller and let out a sigh of relief. The incense was already working; the energy readings after just a few moments were high enough that even if they didn't get any more, they'd be able to survive for another two hours.

"How long will it burn, Urd?" My expression of relief must have heartened her some; she smiled as she answered.

"It's supposed to burn for twelve hours. And it'll restore everyone who breathes it, not just those two."

"Everyone?" I glanced at Belldandy as I asked. If her incense could restore a Goddess, it was a lot more powerful than I thought.

"Yes, even her," Urd confirmed, with a gentle smile in Belldandy's direction. It was kind of strange, but it made sense in a way, too. She really did love her little sister, even if she picked weird ways to show it.

Bill slipped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled the top of my head. I leaned back against him with a relieved sigh. The incense had already restored his energy, and he was letting me know I had one less thing to worry about.

"Oneesan! It's working!" Skuld squealed excitedly as she watched our patients. "How did you make it so strong?"

"I'll tell you, if you promise you won't tell Kami-sama," Urd said with a proud smile. Skuld's eyes grew wide and she stared at Urd in surprise before speaking.

"You did something you'll get in trouble for again, didn't you?" She looked down at Naru and Marller for a moment before speaking again. "Well, whatever it was, it's working. All right, I promise. I won't tell Kami-sama."

"You know how the recipe calls for a mug of beer, right?" When Skuld nodded, Urd grinned triumphantly. "In this batch, I used a mug of the Dark."

Skuld's gasp was echoed by Bill's. I turned my head to look up at him, and saw the first awed expression I'd seen on his face since the day of our wedding, when the kitsune came to greet Serenity and Endymion.

"In your universe...it's real?" he asked incredulously.

"Not only is it real," Skuld murmured, looking worriedly at Urd, "it's Kami-sama's personal stock. If he ever finds out...."

"That's why I needed you to promise you wouldn't tell him," Urd said softly. "If anyone's going to tell him, it's got to be me. He expects ME to get into trouble."

**OK, what's the Dark?** Trust Usagi to ask the question we're all wondering about.

**It's beer. Very special beer. Imagine what would happen if you brewed beer on the grave of the first hero, and let it age there for a few centuries, until it had absorbed the essence of what made him a hero. That's the Dark.**

**That sounds like a magic potion.**

**It's that, too. I first read about it in a novel called "The Drawing of the Dark". It figures it would be Kami-sama's personal stock. It's too potent for humans to drink safely.**

"Oneesan," Belldandy whispered, looking up at Urd through half-opened eyes. "Do you know why Kami-sama keeps it for himself?"

"No," Urd said with a shrug. "I never asked."

"It's because it's too dangerous," Belldandy murmured. "It restores more than your energy and health. It restores the most important memories of your past lives, too - the ones that had the most profound effect on who you are in this life. You don't just remember them - you re-live them."

**Oh, shit. David, lock down the house. Everyone get together with Usagi and Mamoru. Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, that means you, too. Setsuna-chan?**

**I'm here, Father. Don't worry. I'll watch over all of you.**

Setsuna was guiding Chibi-Usa and Hotaru toward Usagi and Mamoru, while Bill was pulling me in that direction, too. Rei, Makoto, and Minako were already close enough that neither of them seemed to be worried about moving them.

Urd's eyes widened as she watched us, her worried expression coming back to her. Then she glanced down at Keiichi, holding Belldandy tight in his arms, and whimpered softly. I saw Umino looking around at all of us with a confused expression, and was just raising my hand to beckon him over, when the bottom fell out of the world.

* * *

_Kami-sama, what have I done?_

Urd frantically dug through her pockets. There had to be something that would counteract the incense, or at the very least something that would make them all sleep until the crisis was past. Keiichi's eyes were already glazing over, and the reporter had collapsed on the floor beside Naru, mumbling something that sounded vaguely like German.

"It's not libel if it's true," the reporter mumbled. "Governor Cosby  **has**  ignored the law. He rigged last year's elections. He's been trying to destroy the courts, so he can rule without hindrance. He's trying to use his position to make himself King of New York. Doesn't anybody care?"

Keiichi suddenly screamed in agony, his whole body stiffening in an unnatural position before he tried to wrench himself to his feet. Belldandy held him firmly, so he couldn't hurt himself.

"Can't stop now," Keiichi gasped as he tried to pull away from Belldandy. "There's still patients in there. We have to get them to the river before the firestorm hits the hospital." He collapsed suddenly, groaning weakly, "Can't...quit...now. Got to...get them out."

Keiichi stiffened with a harsh gasp, his eyes flying open and staring into infinity. Belldandy cried out in fear and held his head between her hands, calling his name as she lowered him to the floor. As soon as he was on the floor, she laid her hand over his heart and began softly pleading with him to stay with her.

Urd finally pulled out a bottle and held it up with a sigh of relief.

"I have it. Skuld, help me. This won't counter the incense, but it'll put them to sleep for a few hours. Hopefully long enough to get past the crisis."

For once, Skuld didn't argue with her, or even make a snide remark about her lack of foresight. That was almost as worrisome as what was happening to the mortals. Anything that would upset Skuld enough to not get in a dig was even more serious than she was already imagining.

The only mortal still standing was one who hadn't been there when they'd arrived. She stalked over and looked at the bottle, then into Urd's eyes. Her gaze was so much like Mimir's, Urd felt herself fall back a step.

"Who are you...and why aren't you affected by the incense?" Urd asked uncertainly. Whoever she was, she had a presence that was so unsettling, it was hard to concentrate in her gaze.

"I am called Setsuna," she said. "What unpleasant side effects do those pills have?"

"They...uh...the sleeping IS the side effect. I made them as restoratives." Somehow, she couldn't come up with a snappy comeback to THIS woman.

"The ONLY side effect?"

"As far as I know. Why aren't you reacting to the incense?" There had to be a reason - something she could use to prevent this happening again.

"The effect of your incense is no more than I already experience every day. We shouldn't waste any more time." With that, Setsuna took the bottle from Urd and returned to the others. Starting with Usagi and Mamoru, she pressed a pill into each one's hands, staying with each just long enough to murmur quietly until they swallowed the pill. After feeding a pill to the reporter, Setsuna handed the bottle back to Urd.

"There. I recommend you be more careful in the future. You won't always have a way to cover for your mistakes." The most unsettling thing about the way Setsuna spoke was that there was no anger, no hint of recrimination, no rebuke - just a recommendation from someone Urd was sure had seen it all and then some.

* * *

I could not believe Urd had done something so incredibly lacking in foresight. Surely if Kami-sama had restricted something from anyone else's use, she'd have realized there was a good reason for it. Then I thought about it and realized I should have expected something like that. Urd could legitimately be called the Goddess of Hindsight - and she'd definitely proven that tonight.

Once I'd made sure all the others had taken one of her pills, I sat where I could reach any of them in an instant if something went wrong. As they fell asleep, I relaxed a little. The memories they'd be reliving would be better relived as dreams than waking. I had a pretty good idea of what each one would be experiencing; if I was right, their first experiences had been more than enough. Well, except for Father, but compared to his memories from this lifetime, nothing that had happened to him in the past was worth worrying about.

 

The hours passed slowly, with Belldandy holding Keiichi and Skuld studying Naru and Marller through her goggles. Urd was surprisingly subdued, and kept looking at me as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. It was this kind of reaction that had kept me away from the Inners until it was time to arrange for Father and Mother to meet. I'll use their uncertainty when I have to, but I don't like being around it.

"Urd, give me one of those pills." I moved to kneel beside Naru and held out my hand. When I felt a pill in my hand, I closed it and nodded. "Now be ready to hold Marller. She's going to need you."

"Move, oneesan," Skuld said suddenly. "Something's happening to them."

Urd moved to kneel beside Marller and looked at me worriedly. I smiled at her. Father always teases that my smiles are entirely too secretive; I don't know that I'm so secretive. There's just a lot of things I can't tell, either because the consequences would be disastrous, or because people tend to take what I say as absolute truth despite the inherent uncertainties of time. They take it easier if I smile when I don't say anything. Like now: I knew they were about to wake up, but I couldn't tell which alternative path time would take when they woke. All I could do was smile and hope it was reassuring enough to help her face the uncertainty.

Marller began to stir, then curled up on herself with an anguished scream. Urd gathered her into her arms and rocked her gently. Good. Marller's reaction meant she'd taken the path that should let us save both of them. The only question now was whether Naru would respond to what Marller had done.

I knew if she didn't respond shortly, she wouldn't; I prayed, for Father's sake, that she would. If she didn't return to us, he'd feel obligated to keep his promise to her - and that would, while necessary, affect him as much as any of his memories.

When she moved, I almost missed it. It was my own fault; I was so busy musing over the possibility of killing her myself so Father wouldn't have to that it wasn't until she groaned that I realized she was back. I scooped her up into my arms and murmured softly to her.

"It's ok, Naru. You're safe with us. Do you understand?"

"Setsuna? Why are you here? Where's Umino?" Naru was understandably confused. She looked around the room blearily. "Wait...isn't this Ami and Bill's house?"

"That's right. What's the last thing you remember?" If Marller did what I suspected, it should be something mostly innocuous.

"Umino and I were editing a video he shot for school, and the phone rang. I don't remember anything after...." She looked up at me with a horrified expression as she whispered sadly, "Oh no...it happened again, didn't it? Why didn't Bill kill me? He promised."

"He can't, Naru," I murmured as gently as I could. "He can't do much of anything right now. He's experiencing something you're about to experience, so I need you to make a choice for me."

"He can't? Why? What do you want me to choose? I don't want this to happen anymore. Please?" As much as I sympathized with her pain, I couldn't do what she wanted. If she still wanted it after reliving her past, Father and I would give it to her, but I hoped she'd change her mind.

"You're going to begin to remember some things that I hope will explain why this keeps happening to you. I have a sleeping pill that will allow you to experience it as a dream, if you want. Or I can sit with you while you experience it consciously." I held up the hand with the pill in it so she could take it if she wanted.

"What do you mean? Something that will explain?" Despite everything that's happened to her, Naru's still basically an ordinary woman. She's only had to cope with strangeness when she's been attacked by one of our enemies. "I don't want to remember anything! I just want it all to end. Why can't I have peace? Is that too much to ask for?"

"Naru, listen to me. Father cannot kill you right now. He's caught up in the same thing that's about to happen to you, and until it's over, he can't do anything. I gave him one of these, so he could experience it as a dream. I didn't give him a choice. You have that choice." I hoped she'd choose to take the pill - and soon. I was surprised she hadn't succumbed already.

"Why? Kami-sama, why do I have to go through this again and again? I just want to die! I just...." Her voice trailed off as her eyes focussed somewhere in the distance. It was finally happening to her; I had one last chance to get her to take the pill.

"Here, Naru," I murmured as I pressed the pill into her hand. "This will help - it'll make it all go away."

"It will?" Her voice was so hopeful, I regretted having lied to her like that. She swallowed it without hesitation, and I held her against my breast until she fell asleep.

"So...horrible...," Marller whispered sadly as I lowered Naru to the pillows. "I understand...why she has so much despair. I...couldn't take it all. Just the last time. I'm not strong enough...to take more than that."

"It was enough to bring her back," I murmured, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "That was enough. Don't short yourself. You did the only thing that would have worked."

"How can she want to die?" Skuld asked softly. When I looked to her, she was gazing at Naru, on the verge of tears. "Is her life really that horrible?"

"It's worse," Marller answered. "Bill wasn't exaggerating. Compared to the demons in this world, I'm almost as good as Belldandy. I thought only humans were capable of that much evil. I think, if I'd experienced what she has, I might have killed myself."

"You?" Skuld squeaked. "It was bad enough to make  **you**  kill yourself?" She reached out to touch Naru's forehead, crying quietly. I wished I could do something to protect her from this - she should remain innocent and pure, like the future she represents. Unfortunately, I was afraid this experience would affect that.

"Mara," Urd murmured, "how do you think you're handling it?"

"Not good," Marller answered softly. "It's all so obscene...so malicious...so vile. Demons aren't supposed to be like that. We're supposed to spread chaos and destruction - to tempt humans to follow their baser urges; to thwart Kami-sama's plans. It's  **humans**  who are supposed to be that evil. What went wrong in this world to make the demons like that?"

"Nobody knows," I murmured. "The origins of supernatural evil are older than I am; they didn't understand it when I was a child, and nobody's gained any better understanding since."

"I'm a little confused," Urd said, looking at me. "You call Bill 'Father', yet you're obviously not a mortal. I'm not sure what you are, but whatever you are, you're far older than any of us."

"I call him 'Father' because he is. And Ami is my mother. What I am is the Guardian of Time. I have been what I am for over twenty thousand years, and will continue to be for at least another thousand."

All three of them looked at me with a marked increase in their level of respect. Skuld was the first to break the silence.

"You're the Guardian? But Kami-sama said we'd never meet you...."

"'In this world'," Belldandy murmured. "Meaning our own. He never said we wouldn't meet the Guardian of another world."

"But if they're your parents . . . in another life?" Urd was still focussed on that question. I suspected she wouldn't move on to any other until I'd satisfied her curiosity.

"No, in this one. I was born a little less than a year ago, and grew up 20,000 years ago. It was necessary." I looked into her eyes, willing her to be satisfied with that answer. I didn't want to have to tell her that was all she was getting, but at the same time I wasn't going to tell any more.

"I see." She opened her mouth as if to say more, then shook her head and looked down at Marller. "How about you, Mara? Feeling any better?"

"No." Marller's response was flat and final. "I don't think I'll ever feel better. All I want to do right now is go home."

"We'll get you home. Between the three of you and our three scientists, we should be able to find a path back to your world." I hoped. They didn't belong here, and sooner or later the Norns of our world would be certain to notice them.

"Make that four scientists, Setsuna. Assuming you'll authorize me to unlock the front door, that is."

"Who is it, David?" I hadn't foreseen anyone coming here right now; of course, the timelines were so tangled, it had taken all my skill to see Naru's recovery. The presence of the Goddesses was doing terrible things to my perception.

"Sarah."

"Let her in when I say it's ok, but lock it as soon as she's inside." I wondered why she was here, then remembered I was supposed to have been home a few hours ago to meet her when she got back from her cruise. Naturally, she'd have assumed my duties as Sailor Pluto were the cause, and would have come here to learn if my parents knew anything. I broke off the burning end of the incense and ran to the lab to switch on the exhaust fan. With the door open, it should suck all the smoke out of the house quickly enough. By the time I returned to the living room, the air was already starting to clear.

"All right. And call Fluorite and Rusty, will you? We're going to need them here when everyone wakes up."

"Setsuna? What's going on?" Sarah asked as the door was closing behind her. I focused on presenting a composed expression as I turned to her.

* * *

Belldandy cradled Keiichi to her breast, crooning softly as she soothed his pain. When she'd told Urd the Dark made mortals relive their past, she'd just been repeating what she'd been taught in training. Actually seeing the effects on her husband was a far different matter. Whatever he'd been in the past, it was obvious he'd been just as kind and loving then as he was now; that it had cost him his life was also obvious - reliving it had almost killed him.

Setsuna was a surprise. She'd never expected to meet the Guardian, but it made sense that she'd be one of the Senshi. Keiichi could probably have told her in advance, but she could ask him about it when he awakened. She was so tired...even with the restorative. She'd been forced to use her power so many times today, it would take a good night's sleep to fully recover. That had to be why she was feeling so disconnected from everything. It was as if she were floating, with Keiichi her only anchor.

"Setsuna? What's going on?" Belldandy looked toward the voice, to see an athletic woman about Keiichi's age, with brown hair held back in a braid that fell to just below her shoulder blades and brown eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. A glance at Setsuna revealed the Guardian not only knew her, she loved her, and was putting on an appearance of composure for her benefit.

"Mother and Father have some...unusual guests," Setsuna said, in a voice that anyone who wasn't looking deeper would have mistaken for calm. "There was a slight problem with some incense, but they should be waking up soon."

Sarah swept into the room as soon as she'd shed her shoes and took Setsuna's hands. She looked into the Guardian's eyes with a gaze that confirmed the love Belldandy sensed. Only someone who loved her could possibly hold that gaze in the face of the Guardian's unsettling aura.

"Was it one of your enemies?" Apparently Sarah was as solid emotionally as she was physically.

"No. It was an alchemical mistake. The incense was intended to be a restorative, but the person who created it didn't research the side effects of the ingredients sufficiently before using them." Belldandy found Setsuna's composure amazing. She doubted she'd be able to be so calm about such an incredible mistake. The only thing keeping her calm now was the knowledge that Keiichi needed her.

* * *

I squeezed Setsuna's hands and looked into her eyes for some clue as to what she was really feeling. She has this annoying talent for trying to ease my worries, even knowing my training and experience. I suppose it's inevitable; I'm a scientist, and her world is one of magic. As much as I dream about it, I've learned that I'm just too firmly rooted in the world I can measure and analyze to ever be capable of fitting into her world the way Bill does. Then again, he's always had a skewed view of reality that fits the magical world closer than I do.

One thing I was sure of was that Setsuna was trying too hard to be strong for me. I tugged on her hands, giving her my best "I know you're full of it" glare; she gave me one of her smiles and let me pull her into my arms. Sometimes I'd like to just shake her. As much as I expect people - especially those I love - to rely on their own strength, I also expect them to be adult enough to know when they need support. She's been on her own for so long, though, that I have to push sometimes to get her to accept that she's not made of MacManusite.

Once she was in my arms, I squeezed her; she was so tense I could almost feel her muscles twang. I didn't know what the situation was, but her tension confirmed what I'd guessed - she was a lot more worried than she wanted to let on. I moved my hands across her back, massaging the tightest knots until I felt her start to relax. Even a little relaxation as better than what she'd been doing. The only person I've ever met who's more stubborn about keeping the world at arm's reach is Haruka, but she has Michiru. Setsuna is mine - the one who loves me; the one I love as much as Bill used to wish I loved him before he and Ami found each other.

"Well, beloved?" I whispered once she'd started to relax. "Which would you rather do first? Introduce your guests, or explain what crisis made you break our date?"

She looked up into my eyes and flashed another one of her smiles.

"I should, shouldn't I?" she whispered, then gave me a quick squeeze and promising kiss before stepping back a step. "Sarah, our guests are Urd, Belldandy, Skuld, and Marller."

As she indicated each, they looked up and nodded; they all looked far too worried for my peace of mind, and the way Belldandy was holding the man in her arms had me wondering if he'd been injured. Of course, it was hard to tell, with all the unconscious people in the room. I'd have to get some answers about that, and soon. For now...those names sounded awfully familiar. I tried to place where I'd heard them before, but was drawing a blank when I suddenly remembered where I'd  **seen**  them before. I looked up, and there it was: the print with their images in angelic forms, done as anime characters.

"Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld...the Goddesses?" When they nodded, I looked back to Setsuna for an explanation.

"The man in Belldandy's arms is Morisato Keiichi, her husband. And Marller is a demon."  **That**  was a surprise. A live demon in Bill's house? Something  **very**  strange was going on. Of course, live anime characters in Bill's house was pretty strange to begin with.

"I'm not like the demons from this world," Marller protested. OK, I'd agree with that. Somehow, I couldn't imagine a demon with the expression of anguish she had. Or accepting comfort from a Goddess who looked like Urd. Or any Goddess, for that matter. My gaze lingered on those two for just a moment longer than necessary; long enough that when I turned my attention back to Setsuna, it took a silent mouthing of "I love you" to remove the jealous look from her eyes.

"So you're not from this world?" That would explain their existence - sort of. But if they're not from this world, how did they get here?

"That's right," Belldandy said. I found myself looking at her with what I'm sure was an expression of total surprise. Her voice was as compassionate and gentle as Serenity's. I understood now why Bill was so fascinated by her. "We're not from your world. We came here due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances, and...," she looked around the room at all the sleeping people, "...the Senshi have promised their help in finding us a way home."

"All right," I murmured absently, thinking of the implications of this, "so you're going to need help from people who understand hyperdimensional physics. That means Bill and Ami. And from someone who has experience travelling in alternative realities. That means Setsuna."

Alternative realities. That reminded me of one of Bill's many random mental wanderings - one in which he'd decreed that Heinlein had it wrong: pan-dimensional universal solipsism was backwards. He said that writers don't create worlds by writing about them: they simply describe other realities that already exist, and their ability to see those realities could be measured by how effectively they wrote about them. I'd always considered it just another one of his skewed ideas, until a couple months ago when Setsuna had handed him her Time Key and he'd been overwhelmed by it. This situation made his theory suddenly seem more believable.

"And a mundane physicist, to make sure whatever they come up with doesn't have damaging effects on this world," Setsuna said, gazing at me with her "you know I'm right" look.

"All right," I said with a smile. I knew better than to argue when she had that look. I'd just have to make her pay for it later, when we were alone. "So how did you get here?"

"I dropped a bomb in Skuld's newest invention," Marller said. "All it was supposed to do was make it fail spectacularly when she switched it on. Instead, it sent us here."

"From what I can tell from examining the vacuum," Skuld added, "Marller's bomb's chaos field interacted with the hyperdimensional components of the vacuum to produce some sort of translation field between our universe and yours. I'm not sure another bomb would produce the same effect. In fact, the chances of it doing the same thing are so small that even I have trouble calculating it."

"You mean, we can't get home?" Marller's voice was switching from anguish to panic, and her expression more fearful than I've seen since Bill was still with his second wife. There had to be something more than just being in the wrong world that was scaring her.

"Nonsense!' Urd announced with just the right touch of maniacal glee. "There's  **nothing**  the four of us can't do if we put our minds to it!"

"You mean, like drugging the humans around us?" Skuld snapped at her, with a grateful look in her eyes. That's the first time I can remember seeing someone who looked thankful for an excuse to start an argument.

"How was I supposed to know it would do that? It's not like Kami-sama put up a warning sign or anything!" Urd shot back, matching Skuld's grateful expression.

"Oooooh! Why do I have to put up with an idiot for a big sister? You  **never**  change ingredients without checking the dangers first!"

"Listen here, brat! If you think you're such hot stuff, why don't  **you**  try making potions sometime? Why should I have to worry about checking stuff like that? Beer's beer, right?"

_Beer? They're arguing over beer? This is just too weird._

"I don't believe this," Marller grumbled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We're lost in a world that isn't even ours, and you two are arguing over something that's already been done? I ought to...."

A ball of light began glowing between Marller's hands as she glared at Urd and Skuld. Skuld pulled something out of the front of her tunic - I'm not sure where she was hiding it - that looked kind of like an aluminum softball; whatever it was, it started glowing, too. Then Urd raised her hands over her head, and a ball of light began glowing between them, too. This was getting a little unnerving. I glanced at Setsuna, and saw she didn't seem to be worried, despite the potential for mayhem those three presented. Then I noticed Belldandy didn't seem worried, either. This was definitely getting weird.

"You ought to what?" Urd growled. The hungry sensations her growl generated had me reaching for Setsuna, who smiled and let me gather her into my arms. "Bring it on!"

"I...can't," Marller whispered as her ball of light faded. "I gave my promise - and for the first time, I  **want**  to keep it. What's wrong with me?"

"When's the last time you had a friend?" Belldandy asked gently. "I don't mean someone who thinks that calling you a friend will give them some unfair advantage, the way Sayoko does - I mean someone who knows what you are and still treats you as someone they value."

Marller looked toward the Senshi thoughtfully for several moments, biting her lip, before she replied.

"Not since Urd and I were young. Demons don't have friends." The sadness in her voice as she said that was heartbreaking. I just couldn't reconcile her emotions with the kind of creatures Bill hunts.

"But you have a friend now. It makes a difference, doesn't it?" Belldandy smiled and offered Marller a hand. "If I'm not wrong, you have the potential to have several friends, if you'll accept them."

Marller looked from Belldandy's eyes to her hand and back again, with tears in her eyes. As she took the offered hand, I felt tears in my own eyes, and when Belldandy drew her in for a gentle hug, I sniffled quietly and squeezed Setsuna.

"You'd be my friend? After all I've done? Even with what I am?" I couldn't blame her for being incredulous. The idea of a goddess and a demon being friends was more than a little odd.

"You're just doing your job, Mara. Even when it's most irritating, it's still what you're supposed to do." Listening to her, I had to wonder if she and Serenity were somehow related. The simple, open, uncomplicated love and acceptance in her voice was as unbelievably complete as the Princess'.

"But...all the times I've attacked you...." Marller sounded far too confused for her own good.

"Hey! Haven't you ever heard of fault-testing?" Skuld smacked Marller - gently - and stuck her tongue out at her. Not exactly what I'd think of as a suitable approach, but it seemed to make Marller feel better. "Do you know how often your tricks and attacks forced me to fix defects I wouldn't have known about otherwise? I ought to draft you to attack everything I build, just for the quality control effect!"

"You know, that's not so far from what the Devil does in Jewish belief," David said. "The only references the Jews have to the Devil that I know of cast him as an angel who specializes in quality control - tempting humans, testing the ones God's too proud of to see if they live up to his opinion of them, that kind of thing."

"Arg! How am I supposed to keep feeling guilty if you're going to do that?" Marller grumbled with a smile. She looked up at the nearest intercom panel thoughtfully, apparently considering David's commentary.

"You're not," Skuld laughed. "So is it a deal? You trash the stuff I build so I can find out what needs improving?"

"Humph!" Urd grumped, flashing a smile that Skuld couldn't see. "I guess she's not satisfied with  **my**  work anymore. Well, if that's the way she's going to be, I guess I'm just going to have to let you do it, Mara."

"I wonder if they're always like this," I murmured to Setsuna as the two Goddesses started bickering like Usagi and Rei. She smiled and drew me down into a gentle kiss that distracted me from the argument.

* * *

Skuld grumbled and glared at Urd. How  **dare**  her big sister think that she didn't appreciate her? She should have realized she was just trying to make Marller feel better. It was almost impossible not to feel for her after seeing how deeply the demons of  **this**  world affected her, even indirectly. Trust Urd to take it as a personal insult. Just wait...one of these days she'd find her bed turned into a giant joy buzzer.  **That**  would get her attention.

"Ha! I got you, Bug!" Urd laughed, throwing her arms around Skuld in a surprise hug. "You really thought I was insulted, didn't you? Just goes to show I'm still way ahead of you in sneakiness."

Skuld stared at Urd in surprise, noticing only in retrospect that Setsuna had developed a sly smile at Urd's claim of sneakiness. It took a minute for her to put it all together, but she finally figured it out: Urd had done it deliberately to try and make her feel better, both about being here and about what she'd told Marller. Her stupid big sister wasn't so stupid after all!

"Oneesan!" she shrieked happily, launching herself into Urd's arms. Marller wisely moved out of the way, so when she hit Urd, only the two of them fell over. Urd's breath came out of her in a whoosh, and the two laughed together.

* * *

When David phoned and said that Lady Pluto requested our presence, I was in my lab, trying to unravel a confusing energy configuration that had arisen during the afternoon. It seemed to have something to do with time, but it was split into three tracks, unlike the energy that surrounded Lady Pluto. I'd managed to localize it to the area around Lady and Lord Mercury's house, and was thinking of phoning to talk with them, when Rusty stepped into the lab.

"Fluorite, Setsuna wants us to join her at Bill and Ami's house. David doesn't know why for sure, but he said Naru's there." My smile at seeing him quickly faded as I thought about why Lady Pluto would want us there in the middle of the night - and why it was important for us to know Naru was there.

"We'll take the shortcut," I said, grabbing his arm. I stepped into the astral plane, bringing him with me. It only took a moment to shift from our apartment to the space outside the house. Going through the wards was always the slowest part of the trip. Every time I take the astral route, he has new wards up. Lately, it's gotten as difficult to get around them as it is to get around the wards at the Hikawa shrine.

"Eh...Fluorite, are those what I think they are?" Rusty's voice was more than a little worried as he pointed at the wildlife around the wards.

"Only if you think they're demons," I answered. Something was definitely wrong: demons normally avoided the house the way wolves avoid a city. There must be something inside they wanted enough to overcome their fear. Still, the only good demon is a dead demon, so.... "Sorry about this, Rusty."

"Sorry about-?" Rusty started; I didn't hear the rest, because he was already back in the physical world. I wasn't going to risk any harm to him while fighting.

"Yoo-hoo! Here, demon, demon, demon!" My teachers always accused me of being flippant, but I've noticed that some enemies - like demons - tend to lose their composure when they think you're not taking them seriously. I'm not proud; I'll take any advantage I can get.

Most of the demons continued trying to batter their way through the wards, but a few turned toward me. I may not enjoy fighting as much as Lady Jupiter does, but a guy does need a chance to cut loose every once in a while. I hovered and waited for them to get close. I may know a lot more about death magic than Lady Saturn, but I don't have anywhere near her power. It's a whole lot easier for me to destroy things like this when they're close enough to touch.

The first demon reached me. It was just an imp, so it wasn't really a threat. I grabbed it and absorbed its energy. Unless you're a monster magnet like Naru, imps are just an annoyance - or a ready source of energy. Now for the others. One of the nice things about demons is the way they dissolve when you destroy them - no bodies left behind to get in the way.

No doubt about it: an angry demon is a stupid demon. Not that most of them are all that smart to begin with, but every little bit helps. With the energy I'd absorbed from the imp, I released a cloud of Death Ribbons. That was a spell I hoped Lady Saturn would master some day, so she wouldn't be in fear of destroying the world every time she went into battle. Like her Death Reborn Revolution, the ribbons destroy whatever they touch - but because the spell is so much less powerful, there's no chance of the Death Ribbons destroying even a city block, much less the world. And it's not a suicide attack.

With the demons around me destroyed, the ones still pounding on the wards finally took notice of my presence. This had the potential to be more interesting. The ones still living were more intelligent - and therefore potentially more powerful. Luckily for me, more intelligent usually means more egotistical when you're talking about demons. If I could come up with a way to have them fighting each other, it would make my job easier.

I fired off another stream of Death Ribbons, and while the demons were dodging them, conjured my Ghost Sword. I may not be in Lady Uranus' class as a fencer, but I'm not incompetent, either. The Ghost Sword is especially effective against demons, since the spirits that form it are at least as offended by the existence of demons as any Demon Hunter is. I dove behind a cluster of demons and decapitated three of them before they had a chance to react.

"So, is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" I don't think I was ever as happy to hear his voice as I was right then. With at least another half-dozen demons still able to fight, I  **needed** the Demon Hunter's intervention.

"Keep you from killing demons? I wouldn't think of it!" I grinned at him and dove for a demon.

This one actually had something that resembled a weapon. Instead of hands, talons, or any of the other usual grasping appendages, its arms were tipped with blades that looked kind of like lochaber axes. It was good with them, too. If I'd been wearing anything that interfered with my movement, I'd have been sliced open like a roasted pig. As it was, I was still fencing with it when he finished with the last of the others. The first either of us knew he was back was when it got a look of surprise on its face as his fist exploded through its chest from behind.

"Well, that was fun," Bill grumbled. At least, this time it was obvious he was being sarcastic. It isn't always. "So what brings you here this time of night?"

"Lady Pluto said we're needed." I was surprised; I'd expected that he'd know of her invitation.

"I'll have to ask her about it when I wake up. Hopefully that'll be soon."

"When you wake up? What's going on?"

"Urd screwed up a restorative incense, so everyone in the house is reliving some of the more interesting memories from their past lives. Setsuna gave us all sleeping pills so that we'd experience them as dreams, rather than consciously. We've already been asleep for a few hours. I don't know how much longer the pills will last."

"That must have been some screw-up. I'm no alchemist, but I don't think I've ever heard of any restorative that does THAT. Who's Urd, anyway?"

"This wouldn't have, except she used an ingredient that has that effect when she was making it. Urd's a Norn - Goddess of the Past. Alchemy's kind of a hobby for her." He grinned. I've seen that grin before: it's the one he gets whenever Serenity - I mean, Usagi - does something particularly undignified. Whoever this Urd was, he obviously considered her a friend.

"Goddess of the Past? Does that mean there's also a Goddess of the Present, and one of the Future?" This could explain the strange time energy I'd detected.

"Yup. Belldandy and Skuld. And a playmate of theirs came with them - a demon named Marller. I think Marller's the reason all these bad boys were out here." This was definitely getting strange. His face didn't express his usual distaste when he mentioned this Marller's name.

"OK, what's Marller, and why isn't it dead?"

"Marller's a demon from the same world Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld are from. They all came to this world together, and they need to go home together. She's also a lot more decent than some humans I've met. Demons in her world aren't like our demons. Hold on." He raised his hand and fired a beam of light over my shoulder. "I think that's why the demons are here. They're trying to either capture or destroy her."

"There's more to it than that," I said, watching him thoughtfully. "For some unknown reason, you think of her as a friend, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I think you will too, once you meet her. She almost died, trying to rescue Naru after she was possessed by an imp. That's why the incense - it was to keep her and Naru from dying." He stopped and closed his eyes for a moment; when he opened them, the sadness I saw was enough to tear at my heart. He whispered, in a tone that carried as much sadness as his eyes, "I know why Setsuna called you. It's Naru."

"Naru was possessed?" I understood his sadness. After I'd turned her into a monster, when I was still one of Queen Beryl's minions, she'd demanded that he promise to kill her if it ever happened again. And if she'd been possessed, she was certain to demand that he keep his promise. Neither of us wanted that. Without hesitation, I moved to embrace him. He needed the reassurance; the reminder that I understood. For that matter, I needed the reassurance. Naru had somehow found it in her heart to accept me as her friend, even knowing what I'd done to her as the Demonologist, and now she was closer to me than anyone other than Rusty.

"I killed the demon, but it broke her. Marller had to go into her mind to bring her back out - and she'd been in there for a long time before the rest of us went unconscious. That was...a while ago. Well before midnight, I think. If Marller didn't manage to bring her back, there's only one way to free her. If she did...you know what Naru's going to want." He sighed heavily and clenched his jaw as he rested his head on my shoulder. He was, like the rest of us, perfectly willing to face death on his terms - but was not willing to allow it to claim a friend.

"What if...," I stopped, realizing my idea was crazy; but if Lady Saturn was willing to go along with it, it might be possible to give Naru what she wanted and still save her life. "What if I caught her when you kill her? Once she's dead, I should be able to talk sense to her. And if Lady Saturn heals her body, I could put her back into it, and the problem would be solved."

"You think that'll work?" His voice told me he was grasping at my suggestion as if it were the first ray of hope in this situation. I prayed I wouldn't let him - or any of them - down. "If you'll do that, I know Hotaru will heal her...and we can save Naru!"

"I'm certainly going to do my best. Ultimately, it's up to her, but I hope I can give her enough reasons to stay with us."

"Thank you," he breathed in relief. "I guess you'd better get back to the other side. David should know enough to let you in without argument, and that's got to be easier than working your way through the wards."

"I'll see you inside, then." I smiled as best I could and slid through to the physical world. Rusty was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he'd already gone inside, and headed for the front door.

"Well, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you'd sent Rusty on without you." David's voice sounded as if he were forcing himself to fake cheerfulness. I looked at his camera and shook my head. I really didn't care to even try to fake it.

"Demons. Let me in, ok? I know why Setsuna asked you to call."

"It's not good," he murmured, letting his real feelings through. David's far too nice for the situation we were in. Unfortunately, as a computer, he couldn't do very much about it. He opened the door just far enough for me to slip through without getting caught, and closed it as soon as I was through.

 

Of the people in the room who were upright, I only recognized Lady Pluto and her consort, Sarah. Lady Pluto turned her gaze on me, and for a brief moment I saw sadness in her eyes to match my own. By the time I made it across the room to where Naru was sleeping, she had regained her usual air of inhuman detachment. Rusty returned from the hallway that leads to the kitchen and laboratory, smiled reassuringly at me, and found a place to sit that wouldn't interfere with anything we had to do.

"Hello, Fluorite. Allow me to introduce our guests. Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld are the Goddesses of Past, Present, and Future, respectively. Marller is a demon - and Father's friend. They're from another universe - one that we have to help them find their way back to." As Lady Pluto introduced them, the ladies bowed their heads. Except Urd, who flashed me a smile that - if she were a man - would have raised my blood pressure to the danger point. I think she was a little surprised when I didn't respond. "Ladies, this is Fluorite, and his partner Rusty. Fluorite is our resident Death Mage, and Rusty is our resident chemist."

"You mean you're..." Urd started, looking surprised.

"As a three-dollar bill," Rusty announced with a grin. I'm not sure what the reference was, but it seemed to make sense to her. She looked me over and chuckled softly.

"It's been a long time since I tried a male form...but I think I could be tempted," she purred. She was so overdone I just rolled my eyes and smiled at Rusty.

"Lady Pluto, has Naru awakened?" I looked worriedly at the sleeping form on the floor. The demon winced as I asked, and when I studied her, I recognized an expression of soul-deep pain in her eyes. Her expression as a lot like that Naru had been wearing the night Bill had forced me to confront her. I started to understand why he was concerned for this demon.

"She has. And you know what she demanded. I called you in hope that you would be able to help. I'm also hoping that what she's experiencing now, as she sleeps, will convince her to renounce the promise she demanded from Father." I wonder if Lady Pluto realizes how easy it is for her friends to see through her detached mask. Like now: no matter how cold her expression, the love and worry in her heart shine through like a beacon.

"Bill and I talked about it before I came inside. We think we have a plan. All we need is Lady Saturn's help to implement it. And prayers from everyone involved that I somehow find Nephrite's silver tongue."

"I think you'd be amazed at how charismatic you can be, when you really want to." Lady Pluto smiled one of her 'I've seen far more than you can possibly imagine' smiles. She looked down at Naru, then up at Urd. "How long should they be sleeping?"

"Well, Keiichi always slept for about six hours." Belldandy glared at Urd as she said that; I didn't know what that was about, unless Keiichi was the man Belldandy was holding so lovingly.

"So they should be waking up shortly. Good."

Definitely good. I hoped that Naru would be the last to wake, so Bill and I would have time to discuss our plan with Lady Saturn - and the others - so there would be no interference. The potential consequences to her if anyone interfered were enough to almost make me reconsider.

* * *

Urd felt Mara wince as the Death Mage asked about Naru. Mara's obvious pain distracted her enough that she didn't notice Belldandy's glare when she answered Setsuna's question. They should all be waking soon - except Naru. By the time she woke, the sun should be up.

Usagi, Mamoru, and Bill were the first to wake. While Usagi and Mamoru sought each other's arms, Bill looked toward the gathering around Naru. Setsuna looked his way and nodded, then reached out to gently touch Mara's shoulder.

"Father would like to talk with you," she murmured softly.

Mara swallowed and looked up for reassurance; Urd smiled and gently hugged her, then nodded. She didn't feel any threat, but Mara was obviously feeling uncertain after her experience with Naru.

"It's ok, Mara," Urd whispered, flashing what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll be right here."

She let Mara slip out of her arms and gave her hand a quick squeeze before Mara walked over to join Bill. As she was kneeling beside him, Ami woke with a gasp. He turned to gather her into his arms and hold her while she pulled herself together. Urd watched uncomfortably until she noticed Minako, Makoto, and Rei stirring. She started to rise to her feet, only to feel Belldandy's hand on her arm.

"Don't, oneechan," Belldandy murmured. "How would you feel if someone pushed her way in while you, Skuld, and I were comforting each other?"

"But...," Urd started to protest, then sank back to her knees, understanding what Belldandy meant - even though it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She'd started to feel comfortable with Minako; they were so much alike in so many ways, from the way nobody appreciated their matchmaking down to their preference in lovers (breathing, good-looking, preferably male, imaginative, and enthusiastic). As much as she wanted to support her, though, she had to admit that Minako needed Makoto and Rei much more than she needed her.

Usagi and Mamoru made their way over and looked down at Naru with matching expressions of worry. Usagi sank to her knees beside Fluorite and placed a hand on Naru's forehead, her tears flowing freely as she bowed her head. Mamoru placed his hand over hers and slid an arm around her shoulder to share his strength with her. The wistful look that flitted through Fluorite's eyes made it obvious Usagi wasn't the only one under Mamoru's spell.

"Did Marller rescue her?" Usagi asked, looking up with eyes as blue and loving as Belldandy's. Urd found herself reaching out with a handkerchief to wipe the tears from Usagi's cheeks.

"She did. And from what Fluorite and Setsuna said, you already know what she demanded before we put her to sleep." The stricken look in Usagi's eyes made it clear she knew. Urd took a deep breath and leaned forward to kiss Usagi's forehead. "Hey, Fluorite's got a plan. Everything will turn out all right. Trust me!"

"Are you sure you're not Minako in disguise?" Usagi asked, smiling. "I thought  **she**  was the only one who could sound that maniacal."

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Minako yelled from across the room. "Biiiih!"

"Hey! I'm the only one allowed to do that to her!" Rei laughed, pushing Minako over. Within moments, the two of them had fallen into a tongue-war.

"How can they bounce back so quickly?" Urd asked, watching Rei and Minako drag Makoto into their battle.

"We have a lot of practice," Usagi murmured. "It's a lot easier to cope if you can shut it away and deal with it a little bit at a time."

"It's also easier when you have people you love to share your pain with," Mamoru murmured, squeezing Usagi gently. "And to share your joy with."

Urd glanced at Belldandy and Keiichi, who was just beginning to stir. She didn't understand what Mamoru meant from personal experience, but watching those two frequently made her wish she did.

* * *

Artemis and I had a wonderful day. Sailor Pluto had assured us we wouldn't be needed, so we'd taken on our human forms and traveled to Lake Kawaguchi to enjoy the clean air and peace. Since it wasn't pilgrimage season yet, it was still fairly pleasant. Artemis had arranged for a room at a hotel near the lake, where we had a beautiful view of Fujiyama.

After a few hours of blending with the humans, ending with a nice dinner, we retreated to the hotel room for a chance to return to our own forms and relax. It was the first time we'd been able to relax away from our charges in months, and we took advantage of every minute.

We decided to return home on the morning train, and got into Juuban around 7am. Minako's apartment was closest to the station, so we went there first. She wasn't home, which surprised us. Minako's no more a morning person than Usagi is, so not finding her home this early was strange. Artemis hopped up on Minako's desk and used her computer to locate her communicator while I waited.

"They must be having a meeting of some kind. Everyone except Haruka and Michiru is at Ami's house." Artemis looked surprised - even a little annoyed. I suppose I did, too. It's not like Usagi to do something like this without at least telling me.

"We should join them, then," I said. Sometimes it seems as if even Artemis needs a firm hand to keep him from dallying when it's time for action. Like now: he was still staring at the computer when it was obvious we needed to be with the others.

"Just a minute, Luna. I'm reading the records from yesterday. They fought an alien that somehow managed to get past Uranus and Neptune. And they have visitors from another universe, who David insists are friends and won't tell me anything more about them until we meet them." He looked down at me worriedly. I had to agree. Extradimensional entities that David wouldn't give us information about? I didn't like that at all.

"We should go, and be prepared for anything. Call Sailors Uranus and Neptune and tell them to meet us there. I hope it's not necessary, but if it is, they should be able to help us rescue the others."

"Right." He started tapping on the keyboard while I went to use the phone.

"Hi, Luna." David answered the phone on the first ring. "How long will it take the two - sorry, make that four - of you to get over here? Usagi could really use your presence right now."

"What's going on, David? Why wouldn't you give Artemis more data?"

"You wouldn't believe it without meeting them. But that's secondary. Naru's what's most important. Usagi's going to need everyone who loves her at her side in order to deal with what they have to do."

"Naru? Oh, no...she didn't get attacked again, did she?"

"Worse. She got possessed. And you know what that means. Dad and Fluorite think they've figured out how to make it work, but neither of them likes the risks.

"Oh, no." This was bad. This was very bad. I took a deep breath to calm myself before continuing. "What's their plan?"

"They want Umino to try and convince her to live, but if he doesn't, Fluorite's going to catch her spirit when Bill kills her, and try to talk enough sense into her to get her to agree to come back."

"I don't like it, but I can't think of anything better. We're on our way."

"Please hurry, Luna. Nobody's happy, and I don't like it. Even Minako's on the verge of hysteria because of what's happened."

"We'll get there as fast as we can, David. Why don't you try playing some soothing background music? It can't hurt."

"You're right. I'll do what I can until you get here. Now I've got to talk to Michiru and Haruka before they come here expecting a battle."

"I understand. Good luck, David."

I pressed the hang-up button, thankful that Minako had invested in a phone with a speaker function, and looked at Artemis.

"How much did you hear?" I whispered, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"Enough. If it's bad enough to have Minako on the verge of hysteria, it's bad. And I've never heard David sound so worried before." Artemis looked as worried as he sounded. "Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll get there."

"You're right." I looked out the window and felt my tail twitching as I considered the situation. "As undignified as it would be, this is one time I wish we could hitch a ride with Phobos and Deimos."

"Don't forget uncomfortable. Their claws aren't my idea of pleasant supports."

"I know," I sighed, leaping from the balcony to our tree-branch exit. "I just don't like thinking of what could happen before we get there."

"So don't. No matter how much we worry about it, we can't help them until we get there."

"I know. I'll stop worrying if you will." I knew he was trying to reassure me, but he was just as worried as I was, so it was only fair to return the attempt.

"Deal. The only question is, how?"

"I wish I knew. We'd better save our breath."

Minako's apartment is as close as you can get to Shinjuku and still be in Juuban, so we both knew we'd be ready to drop by the time we got to Ami's house. We concentrated on running, using every shortcut we knew - at least, those we could use so early in the morning when the department stores weren't open yet.

 

David opened the front door as we staggered up the front walk, and swung it closed almost on our tails. Usagi and Minako ran over to scoop us up almost before we'd finished collapsing on the floor.

"Luna! What happened?" Usagi asked worriedly.

"Artemis! Are you ok?" Minako gasped in near panic.

"They both ran over from your apartment, Mina-chan," David announced.

"Why?" Usagi asked, hugging me close. "One of us could have come to get you, if you'd asked."

"We...didn't...think...of it," Artemis panted.

I was frankly surprised he had the breath to say that much. I know I didn't. I barely had the energy to lick away the tears on Usagi's cheeks. When she felt my tongue on her skin, she squeezed tighter, enough to force out a weak meow that surprised her enough to ease off the pressure so I could breathe.

"Thank...you...Usagi-chan," was all I could get out for the moment. I'd say more when I had a minute to recover.

**Would this help, Luna?**

**Yes. Thank you, Ami. Is it true, about Naru?**

**Unfortunately, yes. A demon possessed her, probably in an attempt to get into the house so it could attack Marller.** Her thoughts were sad and worried. It was worse than I'd imagined.

**Marller? Who's that?**

**Do you see the woman with us? She's Marller.**

I squirmed until I could rest my head on Usagi's shoulder and look into the room. That's when I noticed the strangers, who looked remarkably like characters from one of Usagi's manga. The woman with Ami and Bill was dressed as if she was tastelessly advertising her physical attributes, and the lettering on her T-shirt said something about evil, but I couldn't see enough of it to tell any more than that.

**She doesn't look like the kind of woman either of you would associate with.**

**She isn't. She's a demon. And she's our friend.**

Poor Usagi...I'm afraid I hurt her ear when I yowled in surprise at that declaration. A live demon? In  **this**  house? And as a friend? That was as great a shock as Queen Serenity having tea with Queen Beryl. I turned my head to look at Usagi in hopes that she could explain, forgetting entirely that Ami had been using her telepathy to talk with me.

"Yes, Luna," Usagi said in that soft voice that somehow manages to fill a room. "Marller is our friend. And, yes, she is a demon. At least, in the world she comes from, she's a demon. In our world, she's no more demonic than Lady Nine-Tails. And far less powerful."

"I don't like it, Usagi. Demons are nobody's friends." OK, kitsune aren't exactly reliable friends, either, but at least they're not actively evil. How could she - how could  **they**  - consider a demon their friend?

"If Belldandy's willing to be her friend, given their history, how can we do any less? For that matter, how can we do any less when Bill considers her a friend?"

_Belldandy? That **is**  a character from one of Usagi's manga. One of the better ones, true, but still...how can fictional characters be physically present?_

**In their universe,  **we**  are the fictional characters. Yes, you were thinking that loud.**

**But...that's a demon! It should be dead, not in your arms!**

**Hey, remember when you met me? You thought I was an agent of the Dark Kingdom.**

**Well...yes...but that was a mistake. We didn't know anything about you then. You know that's a demon, so there's no mistake! Demons are evil!**

**Luna, go talk to Rei. Or...let me try something. It should work, and it should answer your doubts.**

* * *

**Marller? I need your help. Would you be willing to share your mind with a friend?**

**Of course I would, Ami. If you trust them enough to let them touch my mind, how can I not?**

Marller felt the gratitude radiating from Ami and leaned against her, drawing a brief flash of jealousy from Bill. She chuckled softly as she thought of how, in her own world, she'd have played on that jealousy until the two of them had either torn their relationship apart or grown inseparable. Now, she just reached out to stroke his cheek and send him a flash of reassurance - just enough to make him realize what he was feeling and flush with embarrassment.

**He's so cute when he's jealous - especially since he tries so hard not to be.**

**You know?** Marller hadn't been entirely surprised to feel Ami's mental touch, but her amused reaction to her husband's jealousy was a surprise.

**I've known since we met. He's full of so much love...but he's a man, and men seem to have a problem with jealousy, no matter how much love is in their hearts.**

**That seems awfully cynical.**

**Don't tell him, ok? He still has this image of me as someone pure and innocent, despite everything we've been through - together and apart.**

**That's because you are. You have a purity that even being trapped in Niflheim couldn't sully. Where's the friend you wanted me to let in?**

**Right here. I can't believe you're doing this, Ami. Do you know how dangerous it is to open your mind to a demon?**

Marller whimpered softly at the distrust and anger in the other voice. She knew she deserved it, but - now that the others had accepted her - it hurt. Even more than being separated from Urd had hurt.

**If I couldn't protect your mind, I wouldn't have suggested this, Luna. But you don't  **need**  protection from Marller.**

**All right, demon. What did you do to brainwash them?**

It hurt so much, feeling this distrust and anger - like that of a mother cat protecting her kittens. Like a...Marller looked around the room, to see the cat in Usagi's arms glaring directly at her. _Could it be that their cats are intelligent in this world, too?_

**Luna and Artemis are. They're our teachers and advisors - and were in our last lives, too. Although they have a tendency to be a bit overprotective at times.**

Ami sounded amused, as if she loved Luna enough to feel comfortable teasing her. Marller knew that if Luna inspired that kind of love in Ami, she had to honor it with the one thing that would show her trust and love for Ami.

**My name is Mara. If you know anything about magic and demons, you must know that now that you have my name, you have power over me.**

**I thought your name was Marller. That's the name Ami used.**

**Marller is the name I give strangers. Mara is the name I give only to family and friends. I only give it to people I trust - which, until yesterday, meant my half-sister. But if Ami trusts you enough to risk this, then I can't trust you any less.**

**You're a strange demon. You're nothing like the demons we get around here.**

**Thank Hel! I can't understand how demons can be so obscene in this world. It's as if they have all the distilled evil humans are capable of confined within their forms.**

Marller shuddered against Ami, remembering what the imp had done to Naru. With that as their standard, it was no wonder they had hated and distrusted her on sight. Ami cradled her close and gently brushed her hair back, somehow knowing just how to sooth her revulsion and fear.

"You really don't belong here, Mara." The voice came from down by her knees; Marller opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear away the tears. There, looking up at her with what she could only think of as an expression of wonder, was the black cat Usagi had been holding. "If you stay here, the demons in this world will tear your heart apart. Now I understand how Ami could call you friend."

"How...?" Marller whispered, looking down at Luna. "Just a minute ago, you were willing to use your claws on me to protect the others."

"That was before I felt what you felt; before I saw how different from our demons you really are. Usagi was right. You're no more evil than Lady Nine-Tails." Luna hopped into Marller's lap and butted her head contentedly against Ami's hand. Her purr was strangely soothing.

"She's not the only one who felt it," Bill's voice added from behind her as his arms joined Ami's in holding her. "Take a look."

Marller took the handkerchief Bill offered, wiped her eyes, and looked around the room, her wonder increasing as she saw that not only were Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld looking toward her with worry, so were Rei and both Usagis. She felt herself burst into tears, feeling almost guilty at worrying them - and feeling confusion at these new emotions that were running riot through her. She knew she could never go back to the life she'd had before, and it was all too confusing - too hard to comprehend in so short a time.

* * *

_I can't believe they're actually planning to kill her! I thought they were the heroes!_

As if the weird dreams I'd had after taking the pill Setsuna gave me weren't bad enough, when I woke up, Bill and Fluorite were talking about killing Naru. It was as if they thought we were in some bad samurai movie, the way they were talking so calmly about it as if it were fated. Didn't they realize Naru hadn't been in her right mind after she'd been turned into a monster? They couldn't expect a promise made then to be binding. Could they?

"...Umino! Are you listening?" I realized both Bill and Fluorite were looking at me expectantly. Bill continued, "We need your help."

"To kill Naru? Are you out of your minds? I can't kill her! And I won't let you do it, either! How can you even think of it?"

"Hopefully, to  **not**  kill her. You and Fluorite are the only ones who have a chance of convincing her to renounce the promise I made her." That's when I understood the look in his eyes. He didn't  **want**  to kill her - he felt bound by the promise he'd made. I knew that if she insisted he carry it out, he would do it, no matter what it cost him. He was a hell of a lot closer to being a samurai than I would ever be.

"I'll do anything! What do I need to do?"

"Let your heart speak. Talk to her about your love, about what she does for you, about your hopes, your dreams - anything that will make her understand what she'll be losing when she dies. Anything that you think might reach through her pain." He didn't have to add the 'please' - I could see it in his eyes.

I thought I was starting to understand. To him, Naru was like a little sister; if he killed her, it would be because he loved her. I clenched my jaw and nodded. I'd do my best. I...remembered.

 

_The New York Governor's prison was a miserable place. Cold, damp, little more than a stone-lined hole in the ground. If not for the bribes my friends paid the jailers, I wouldn't have survived the winter. Governor Cosby hated me so much, I'd almost succumbed to the cold and damp before my friends had been able to make an arrangement to bring in warm clothing and a doctor. I swore I would never go back there. He may have destroyed my presses, but the next time, I'd fight with more than just words. I'd die before I let them put me back in that hole._

 

"Umino? Are you there?" Fluorite asked worriedly, shaking my shoulders. "Umino?"

"Ja? Vas ist?" Everything seemed out of focus, as if the world were stretching for a moment, before snapping back into place. I gripped Fluorite's arms, for something to anchor myself. "How long am I going to keep having those dreams?"

"They're not dreams," Bill said softly. "They're memories. Memories of who you were in a previous life - and of the most profound event in that life."

"It was profound, all right," I murmured, shaken by how real it all had been. I could still smell the musty odor of damp stone, feel the itch of fleas and lice under my clothes, taste the despair of not knowing if I'd ever leave the prison alive....

"Will you be ok?" Fluorite's voice showed how worried he was. It was easy to understand how he'd become even closer to Naru than Usagi. He's so genuinely good, it's hard to imagine him as a Death Mage - despite Naru's claim that he was.

"I don't know," I whispered. "I'm not sure I'll be able to argue very well. I understand what she must be feeling...and if it's the only way for her to be free, I can't stand in her way. But I'll try to convince her it isn't."

"That's all we ask," Fluorite said gently. "Trust your love for her. It's the most important thing right now."

How could I tell him that it wasn't my love for her that I was worried about? It was whether her love for me was stronger than her pain that worried me. With all she's been through, I wouldn't blame her for wanting it to end, no matter what the cost. All I could do was pray, and hope my words reached her.

* * *

Keiichi sat up with a sudden gasp of air. The hospital was burning! He had to rescue the...Belldandy? His head felt as if it was spinning, and he clutched at her desperately. Which was real and which was dream? Was he an engineer in the riverside hospital in Hiroshima, or was he an engineer in Tokyo? Was he dying of radiation poisoning, or was he alive and well in the arms of his beloved wife?

"Kei-chan? Come back to me, my love," Belldandy pleaded, brushing his forehead with her lips. "I'm here, my love. Come back to me."

"Bel-chan?" Keiichi opened his eyes and looked up blearily. Belldandy smiled lovingly and bent down to kiss him gently. "The children? Did I save the children?"

"Yes, Kei-chan, you saved the children," Belldandy murmured gently, drawing him close to her breast; close enough he could feel her heart beating. "Urd says you were wonderful. You can be proud of what you did."

"Oh, good," Keiichi murmured, closing his eyes and snuggling against Belldandy. If she said he did good, everything was all right. He let himself relax, secure in the knowledge that he was where he belonged, no matter where that was.

* * *

I stared at Bill; partly trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying, and partly in hopes that I hadn't heard what I thought I'd heard. He wanted me to heal her after he'd killed her, so that if Fluorite could convince her to come back, her body would be healthy. I could do it, but how could he be planning it so calmly?

"She should be waking soon. Are you ready, Hotaru?" He could have been talking about ordering ramen, for all the concern his voice.

He crouched beside Naru, holding a knife I'd never seen him use before. The blade was at least forty-five centimeters long, double-edged, and at least five centimeters wide. He called it an Arkansas Toothpick. The only good thing I could see about it was that it would make a clean diamond-shaped hole that would kill her quickly and I could heal easily.

"I'm as ready I can be." I didn't want to be, but I knew I'd do what I had to. I always had.

 

_The first thing I knew was the call. I could feel it, reaching deep into the crystal where I'd slept since manifesting the power of Saturn. I felt the crystal crumbling around me as the call grew stronger, and sat up, blinking against the light from the talismans._

_"It is time," Sailor Pluto said, as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune helped me to my feet. I knew what that meant: it was time for me to do what Queen Serenity had told me was my purpose - to destroy the evil that was too powerful for the Guardians to fight. I would die, too, but be reborn - probably to sleep again._

_"I am ready." I raised my glaive and felt the energy beginning to gather._

_As I brought my glaive down, Sailor Pluto threw something into the path of the blade and vanished - just before the blade hit what she had thrown. As the glaive hit, I realized she'd thrown the Silver Crystal. The explosion when it shattered into seven fragments caught the three of us by surprise. The combination of its power and my own was infinitely greater than anything I could imagine; as I died, I wondered if I would ever be reborn._

 

"We're all a little unsteady right now," Bill said, gently resting his hand on my shoulder. As I refocused my gaze onto him, I saw that the concern I'd hoped to hear in his voice was instead in his eyes. He didn't like this any more than I did, but he would do what he believed to be his duty, as I would. I should have realized: he was always better at controlling his voice than any of us except Rei.

"Cupcake?" Usagi whispered as she slipped her arms around me from behind. I leaned back into her embrace, turning to bury my face in her pink hair, where I could cry without worrying anyone else. "It's all right, Hotaru. I'm here now, and I won't ever let go."

I relaxed in her embrace, knowing that it would be all right, somehow. She must have known what Pluto would do when she left the Silver Crystal in her keeping...but did she know, even then, that we would love each other in this life? I hoped so; it would mean at least one of us had faced death with hope in her heart.

"Will you kill me now? Please?" Naru's voice surprised me. I hadn't noticed her awaken, but she was pushing herself to a sitting position and gazing pleadingly at Bill. "I can't take any more. Please...you promised."

The pain in her voice was so obvious, all resistance I felt to Bill and Fluorite's plan was gone in an instant. If we could ease her pain by doing what she wanted, the risk of not bringing her back was worth it. Better she should have the chance to be born anew in a life without this pain.

"Naru? Do you really want to die so much?" Umino drew her into his arms and looked into her eyes as he brushed her hair back. "I love you, Naru. Isn't there anything I can do to help you live?"

"Please, Umino," Naru closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, murmuring softly, "let me go. Find someone to love who won't be constantly endangering you the way I do. Find someone to love whose life is more than the pain and misery my life is. I'd rather have Silence than what I have now. You're the only good thing in my life, and I don't want you to suffer as I have."

"I don't care about the danger, Naru," Umino answered, gently stroking her hair - the same way Usagi stroked mine when I was unhappy. "I think I might have a shrimp in my pocket somewhere. Remember?"

"You always were braver than is good for you," Naru murmured, smiling slightly. Was he getting through to her? "But this is something nobody can help. I know...as long as I live...it'll keep happening. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. The only way to make it stop is for me to die."

"How can you know that?" Umino asked softly. "Surely Sailor Moon can help, or the Goddesses?"

"I wish they could, but this is my destiny. Maybe if I were still what I was in Atlantis, it would be different...but that's more horrible than this." Naru looked up into Umino's eyes and reached up to touch his cheek. "Please, don't try to interfere. Maybe...in my next life...I'll be able to love you again. Maybe I'll be able to love you the way you deserve."

"I don't understand. What do you mean? Please...if I have to let you die, at least tell me why?" Umino's voice was quavering; he was obviously trying to not let his emotions interfere, but it was just as obviously not easy for him. My respect for him rose as I watched and listened. With Naru, he was a lot more than just an annoying gossipmonger with delusions of journalism.

"In Atlantis, I wasn't the kind of woman you'd want to know," Naru murmured softly. "I was one of Queen Beryl's loyal servants. I was one of the people who worked with the youma. I was the one who taught demonic magic to Fluorite. What's happened to me in this life...is only what I earned in that life...but I can't take it any more. I just want it all to stop, even if it means I stay dead forever."

I know I was shocked at this revelation - and from the look on Fluorite's face, he was just as surprised. Serenity was the first of us to recover, and she moved to Naru's side. Naru looked up at her with an expression of guilt that changed to confusion as Usagi shook her head.

"What you earned in that life, you paid for in that life," Serenity said, with just a touch of steel in her gentle voice. "I can't believe anything you did then could be so evil as to require you to suffer the way you have in this life. There has to be some other reason."

"It's not karma," Naru said, smiling just a little, as she had for Umino. "I think...it's like a scent, that only monsters can smell. It's as if they recognize me, even in this life, and are drawn to me the way Luna would be drawn to you if you were separated from each other somehow. There's nothing I can think of that can stop it."

"Fluorite?" Serenity looked up at him; the sadness in his eyes and the shake of his head said he had no more answers than Naru did. Usagi looked down and hugged Naru gently. "You know, Umino's not the only one who loves you. If you're absolutely certain this is what you need to do, we're all going to be sad. Are you sure?"

"I have to. If Bill won't do it, I'll do it myself." Naru looked at Bill and took a deep breath. "I need you to keep your promise. Please."

Bill rose to his feet, his head bowed, and offered Naru his hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. Fluorite took the opportunity given by her distraction to fade through to the astral; I kissed Usagi and slipped out of her arms so I could move to heal her.

"Umino, I'd like you to hold her for a moment." Bill kissed Naru's forehead and murmured softly to her before stepping back to give his place to Umino.

Umino embraced Naru, and they held each other for several minutes, exchanging kisses and soft words. When they finally let go, Umino moved to one side and kept hold of one of her hands. It was obvious she didn't want him to be so close when she died, but that her love wouldn't let her deny him - as obvious as it was that he didn't want her to do this, but he loved her too much to interfere.

"This is what I'm going to use," Bill said, holding up his knife so she could see and touch it. Naru reached out to touch the blade, and jerked her hand back in surprise when blood began dripping from her fingers. Trust Bill to keep even a knife I've never seen him use as sharp as a katana. "I'm sorry, sis. I don't want you to hurt any more."

"It's all right." Naru smiled up at him as she spoke. She'd let her hand fall to her side, and the blood was dripping onto the floor. "It's sharp enough that it shouldn't hurt much, right?"

"That's right. Hopefully, it won't hurt any more than your fingers do." He placed the point of the knife against her breast and hesitated, looking into her eyes. "I love you, Naru...imouto. Come back to us soon. Please?"

"I'll try." Naru smiled and reached up to touch his cheek, leaving smears of blood. "If this breaks the scent, maybe I'll be able to have a full life next time."

Bill bowed his head and closed his eyes, as Naru moved her hand from his cheek to his hands, where they gripped the knife. She looked at Umino lovingly, squeezing his hand, then looked up at Bill trustingly and pulled on his hands.

When Naru pulled on his hands, Bill opened his eyes and looked into hers. If she'd had any doubts, the love and distress in his eyes should have stopped her. She nodded, placed her hand over the butt of the knife, and pulled. All of us could hear his whimper through our MacManuses - the whimper he refused to let her hear - as he put his weight into the knife and thrust it through her in an instant.

"It...didn't hurt," Naru murmured in surprise, looking down to where the hilt made a dimple in her breast. "Thank you, Bill. I love you, big brother."

Bill pulled the knife out, and blood poured out of her like water from a pail. She crumpled into Umino's arms and reached up to touch him, gazing lovingly into his eyes for as long as the light remained in hers.

* * *

Marller shuddered at the intensity of Bill's distress as he killed Naru. How could anyone keep going with that much pain? She slipped out of Ami's arms and hugged her knees, trying to contain the reflected pain. Ami moved to Bill's side, placing her hands on his shoulders as he knelt beside Naru's body.

"I can't do this," Marller whispered, rising to her feet and stumbling toward Bill and Ami. "I can't let her die!"

With a thought, she was in the astral world. Standing just a few feet away were Naru and Fluorite. She watched silently as Fluorite talked quietly to Naru, until Naru turned and looked at her.

"Even dead, I can't get away, can I?" Naru asked, her voice beyond sadness into resigned surrender. "All right, what do you want?"

"I want you to look at me. Not just at my appearance, but at  **me**  . Am I like the demons you know?" She hoped Naru had enough composure to recognize her differences from the demons of this world. If not, it would be a lot harder.

Naru glared at Marller; it was obvious that, while she was resigned to what she believed was her fate, she wasn't going to go without a fight. Marller lowered her head, unsure of what to do. She shuddered as a possible solution forced itself to her attention. If it worked, Naru would be alive; if it didn't, she herself would be dead.

Marller raised her head and looked into Naru's eyes, opened her arms, and lowered her shields. The only way she could think of to get Naru to trust her was to expose herself completely - something she could safely do within the wards around this place.

"It's up to you, Naru. Am I what you expected?" Marller asked, doing her best to speak as gently as Belldandy. She stood still, waiting for Naru to make the next move.

Naru looked at her, with a disconcertingly intense gaze. Marller held herself still while Naru floated around her, studying her from all sides. If this was going to work, she had to make herself completely vulnerable - and any movement could be misinterpreted.

"What are you?" Naru asked, stopping to look her in the eye wonderingly. "You're not like any demon I've ever seen."

"But I am a demon," Marller said. "In my world, I'm a pretty ordinary demon. I'm the reason you don't remember what happened to you today."

"You're the reason? What did you do to me?" Naru's voice still carried the same resignation.

"I took the memory from you. It's in me now. It's...," Marller whimpered as the memory came unbidden to her consciousness. She was dimly aware of being caught by two sets of arms as she crumpled under its weight, and some sort of discussion going on over her head.

* * *

Marller's appearance had taken me by surprise, but its effect on Naru gave me hope. Now that she was dead, she was much more sure of herself; so much so that when Marller surprised us by lowering all of her defenses, Naru actually approached and studied her. When Marller crumpled with a whimper, Naru was there to catch her, even before I could reach her.

"What did you mean?" she asked Marller quietly. "You took the memory from me? Why? You're a demon...sort of."

"I don't think she can hear you," I murmured. "It feels as if she's experiencing it again."

"Experiencing it? But how? Why? Why would she take a memory from me?"

"To give you a chance to live. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, you can feel how strongly it's hurting her." I brushed Marller's hair back, revealing the marks on her forehead. As I touched her forehead, her marks flared, and I felt pain, sorrow, and horror washing out from her. I jerked back, hard enough to tumble backward through space before I could bring myself under control.

"What happened?" Naru reached out to catch my hand as I tumbled. "Fluorite?"

"I startled her," I said as she tugged me back. "I think lowering her defenses the way she did made her more vulnerable to the memories. All we can do is watch over her until she recovers."

"She did this...for me? I don't understand. What could make a demon hurt that much? Why would a demon do that?" Naru reached for Marller's forehead. I caught her wrist and shook my head.

"Do you really want to do that? She took that memory from you, so you'd have a chance to live. The damage it did...drove you so deep into your mind that when she went in to rescue you, she was lost in your mind for hours. I don't know how many hours, because I didn't get there until well after midnight, and you'd already come back by then." I held her hand, watching her closely in hopes of some clue of how to proceed.

"I have to. I have to know what happened - and why she did it." She gently tugged free of my grip and laid her hand on Marller's forehead.

I caught her as she crumpled and cradled her in my arms while she moved her lips silently and looked out on the world with a horrified gaze. I waited, holding her, silently wishing she hadn't done that. Now that she was dead, she couldn't retreat from what she'd seen the way she could before; she had to deal with it - and all I could do was support her. I may have a lot of power over death, but any spell or talent I could think of to use would ultimately hurt her more than letting her work through it on her own.

 

I don't know how long it was before she came back to me, but it was long enough for the wards to accumulate a good selection of demons. I wasn't too surprised, with Marller and Naru on this side. They were attracted to them the way a tanuki is attracted to honey rolls. Eventually, Naru stirred and looked up into my eyes with a profoundly sad gaze.

"It doesn't get any better, does it?" she asked, sounding as sadly resigned as she had when Marller came through. "Whether I'm alive or dead, I've got to face it."

"I really don't know. With your past, this could be something that'll follow you no matter what you do. If that's the case, it'll probably be easier for you to fight when you're alive." As much as I wanted to reassure her, I felt that what she wanted was the truth. At least, as much truth as I could understand.

"What about her?" Naru slid out of my arms and gently gathered Marller up. "What she did...what she took from me...there's got to be a way I can help her."

"I think getting her back to the other side will be a good start. Being fully on this side makes her even more attractive to them than you are." I gestured vaguely away from us, indicating the demons that were crowded against the wards in all directions. "Of course, it would be a whole lot easier if she were conscious."

Naru looked, her eyes growing wide as she turned her head to see the demons all around us. After the initial surprise, her eyes narrowed and she let out a hiss of anger. Releasing Marller, she stalked toward the wards, developing a purple-black glow that increased in intensity with each step, until her form was impossible to distinguish through the crackling ultraviolet aura that surrounded her.

"You...creatures...have hounded me all you are going to," she snarled as her aura flared, vaporizing several lesser demons and trapping a more powerful one within its glow. "If you want to continue your miserable existence, you will return to Hell, and you will tell your masters that I have returned. If I so much as  **smell**  a demon in my vicinity, I will destroy every demon I can find. Do. You. Understand?"

I found myself shuddering as she spoke; she was definitely the one who'd taught me demon magic - except now she had a heart, something she'd definitely lacked before. Somehow, I suspected that made her more dangerous, not less. The demons seemed to sense it, too. The ones who were intelligent enough to understand her were making tracks away from here as fast as they could. The one she'd trapped was frantically throwing energy at her; energy that splashed harmlessly across the wards. She snarled angrily and tightened her grip on the demon. Its struggles grew increasingly frantic, until it suddenly vanished with a soft popping noise.

"That should get the message across," Naru hissed, returning to us. She gathered Marller in her arms and looked down at her, her expression softening from rage to love as she gently stroked Marller's forehead. "She risked her own sanity for me, and I don't even know her. Now it's my turn. Watch us, Fluorite?"

"I'll be right here."

I had a good idea of what she had in mind; in her current state, she was more than powerful enough to pull it off. She smiled up at me and dove into Marller's forehead.

* * *

Keiichi's eyes worried Belldandy; as he watched Bill drive his knife through Naru, he had shuddered against her with a soft gasp. When he'd looked up at her, his eyes were shadowed, with a despairing pain that he hadn't had even when he'd been possessed by the Lord of Terror. The same simple goodness that had qualified him for a wish was what made him so vulnerable in this situation.

"How could they let him do that?" he whispered sadly. "I thought they were heroes."

"They are," Belldandy murmured softly, praying silently she could ease his distress. "They're giving Naru what she needs, no matter how much it hurts them. If they hadn't done it, she'd have killed herself. At least, this way, they could reduce her pain."

"I don't understand," he murmured. "What could be so horrible that she'd want to die? Sure, she's been attacked a lot, but Sailor Moon always rescues her."

Belldandy offered a hopeful smile and gently kissed Keiichi's forehead. He was just too nice to imagine the despair of being repeatedly made a victim of evil, with no way to fight back. Even his own experiences hadn't created the kind of despair Naru had felt. She hoped this experience wouldn't change that - that her love and his resiliency would carry him through.

"She'll be ok, Kei-chan," she murmured gently. "I believe what's happened is for the best."

"I hope so," he sighed, then smiled weakly up at her. "If anyone else said that...."

"Well, I hope you'd believe Urd or Skuld," she teased, relieved by his smile. She was rewarded by an embarrassed laugh and a loving squeeze.

Keiichi looked up at her and stretched for a kiss, which went from tentative to hungry in seconds. She knew it was as much from simple human need as it was from his love for her, but that didn't matter: not only did he love and need her, he was no longer focussed on Naru's death.

* * *

Her name was Mara. That was the first thing I learned as I plunged into her mind. I didn't know where to look for her, so I started sorting through her memories, in hopes of finding a clue of where to find her.

 

_Mara sobbed bitterly as Urd was taken away. Her only friend, her half-sister, and she was lost forever, just because her Father wanted her as a Goddess. How could they do this to her? It wasn't fair! Why did she have to lose her sister?_

_"Demons don't cry." The cruelty in the voice was matched by the force of the blow that caught her across the cheek and sent her back into a boulder five feet behind her. Mara raised her hand to her cheek and looked up in shock at the one who had struck her. "You'll learn that quickly, child, or you'll die."_

_Mara was briefly thankful that she'd been struck by the living hand, rather than the dead one, and scrambled to her feet. She threw herself on her face at the feet of the one who had come to claim her._

_"I'm sorry, Mistress. But she's my sister! Why did Kami-sama take her from me?"_

_"Your half-sister. Now get on your feet and follow me. We are going home." Hel gestured, and a door opened in the air._

_"But WHY?" Mara screamed, pounding her fists on the ground and glaring at her mother. " **Why**  did he take her?"_

_Hel reached back with her dead hand and gripped Mara's hair, painfully lifting her to eye level._

_"You are too young to ask why," she hissed. "Maybe if you survive long enough to earn your license, you'll have the right to ask why. Until then, you will do as you're told. Do you understand?"_

 

Mara had understood, far too well. She'd buried her feelings and applied herself so totally to her studies that she'd received her restricted license when she was only 14 years old. I found myself wishing I could do something to ease the pain of her childhood - something to make up for what her mother had done to her.

I had to keep going, though; I had to find Mara and bring her back. There was a light in the darkness, not far away. With nothing else to guide me, I flew toward it. As I flew, I wished I knew as much about mind magic as I did about demonic magic. It would have made my task much easier.

 

_Mara watched from the roof trusses as the humans below prepared to greet visitors to their drug factory. Shotguns and submachineguns - many still bearing their military or police identification markings - were brought out of hiding as the drug manufacturers crouched in positions of ambush. If the anonymous tip she'd provided the police were followed up, the city should shortly have several fewer law enforcement officers. And Urtok would have several fewer minions, opening opportunities she was in a position to fill. The only thing that could prevent her plan from coming to pass was direct intervention by someone of at least her power._

_The police blasted in both the front and rear doors at once, and soon the lead was flying in all directions. Within moments, stray shots had ignited the factory's raw materials, causing several explosions. Mara watched dispassionately, feeling no more connection to the carnage below than a chess master felt toward the sacrifice of pieces on a board. Less, perhaps, since these pieces were of more value when removed than when in play._

_If there was any shadow of concern, it was easily dispelled by the knowledge that the humans had done this to themselves; all she had done was make one group aware of the existence and location of the other. The humans were demonstrating what her teachers had emphasized repeatedly in her training. Humans were more than capable of doing evil on their own, without wasteful expenditures of energy. A simple nudge, often not even requiring supernatural effort, was enough to put their own evil natures to work._

 

I shrank from that memory, understanding fully how true it was. I also understood how incomplete it revealed Mara's understanding of human nature to be. Or, at least, how incomplete it was when that incident had happened. There had to be more; something that could explain why she'd rescued me when she could have more easily - and more safely - let me remain lost within myself. Not knowing what else to do, I dove for the next spark of light I saw.

 

_"Did we get him?" Keiichi murmured, looking up into Belldandy's eyes._

_Mara growled softly as she watched. Demons do not feel. That lesson had been beaten into her time and again by her teachers - and confirmed by every experience she'd had with humans until she'd met this one. Humans didn't deserve any emotional involvement, even if she **did**  feel. So why did she wish she were in Belldandy's place?_

_"Uh-uh, Mara," Urd said softly, having somehow crept up on her unnoticed. "I may not be the Lord of Terror, but if you mess with them, you'll wish I were."_

_"What are you talking about?" Mara turned toward Urd, putting on her best expression of injured innocence. "They just saved my life. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean I don't understand what I owe them."_

_"Is that all it is?" Urd looked her over appraisingly, with a gaze that made her uncomfortable in ways she didn't feel even when being appraised by someone as powerful as Surtur. Then again, no matter how powerful he was, Surtur was as dumb as a post._

_"Of course." Mara turned her head, somehow finding her gaze drawn back to Belldandy and Keiichi. There was no way she was going to reveal her weakness to **any**  Goddess - and especially not to her sister._

_"If you say so," Urd said, laying a hand - gently - on her shoulder. "But I think you're going to find there's a lot more to you than you imagine."_

_Mara snapped her head around to stare at Urd in surprise. An attempt to kill her, banishing to Niflheim, even binding, she could have understood. **This**  , on the other hand, didn't make any sense at all. After being possessed by the Lord of Terror, Urd should be enraged, out of control, ready to destroy her. Yet...somehow she'd known, even when Urd crept up on her, that she wasn't. Why?_

_"You're insane! I'm exactly what I've always been! I hate you all!"_

_Mara fled, shaken to her core by the emotions that were rising within her. What had they done to her? She was a demon! They'd ruined her plan to win her Class 1 license, and now they'd made her feel things a demon couldn't feel. The image of Keiichi and Belldandy embracing rose in her mind, throwing off her concentration enough to bring her out in the middle of one of the biker gangs that infested Tokyo. With a simple gesture, she amplified the jealousies and rivalries among them, reducing the group to a knot of homicidal rage, turned in on itself._

_Floating above them, she waited for the calm detachment that normally came over her when watching humans destroying themselves. Images of Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld rose before her, taunting her with the love they shared. I should be there. Images of Keiichi and Belldandy mingled in, showing a different kind of love, but one that was just as strong. She fled again, from the unbidden thoughts as much as from the images. She was a demon! How could this be happening to her?_

 

The feelings associated with that memory were strong enough to surprise me. It was as if a lifetime of repressed emotions had been released at once. No wonder she'd fled the way she had. She had no way to cope with them. I drifted, considering what I'd seen so far. It was obvious she wasn't anything like the demons I was used to dealing with. If anything, she was more like the gods, although a bit twisted by her childhood. Could that be the answer? If Hel was her mother, didn't that make her a goddess as well as a demon? But if that was the case, who was her father?

I drew myself together and looked around, realizing that most of the memories in this area were similar: Mara was torn between the rising emotions and her training and heritage. As I followed her memories, it became increasingly obvious that she was nearing a break - if she hadn't already broken. The idea of a demon being torn by her emotions was as surprising to me as she was, but it helped make sense of what she'd done. It still didn't fully explain it, but it helped.

 

_Mara floated above the temple, waiting for her bomb to detonate. She wished she could be inside, to enjoy the look on Skuld's face when her latest...whatever it was...exploded in her face. She felt a twinge of jealousy when Keiichi and Belldandy arrived, and idly thought about dropping a little something to muss them up. Nah...the bomb she'd given Skuld would be enough excitement for today._

_The light that flared from the house when Belldandy reached for the front door came on so quickly it caught her by surprise. When her vision cleared, everything within the outer walls looked as if it had been abandoned for years._

_"URD! What did you do **this**  time?" Keiichi yelled angrily._

_"Now, Keiichi-chan, you don't know it was her. Something about this feels more like Marller's doing." Belldandy's voice was as gentle and loving as she'd ever heard it, even when she voiced her suspicion. How could anyone be so loving, even with all she'd experienced?_

_Belldandy and Keiichi stepped inside, leaving Mara wondering was going on. She held her position, watching and listening in case anything more happened. Suddenly Urd was there beside her, glaring angrily and grabbing her ear._

_"What did you do? We're not even in our own universe." This was scary. Urd was so angry, her voice was calm, flat, and emotionless enough to win approval from one of her teachers. What did she mean, they weren't in their own universe?_

_Urd took them to Skuld's bedroom - or, at least, what would have been her bedroom if it didn't look as abandoned as the rest of the complex. Within the room were gathered five women wearing what looked like a swimsuit designer's answer to sailor suits, a man in a tuxedo, top hat, and opera cape, and a man wearing a trenchcoat and fedora._

_"It looks like demonic energy," Skuld announced. "But that doesn't make sense, unless it was tampered with after I finished it."_

_"I'd say that's a good bet," Urd said coldly, while twisting her ear. "Tell us what you did, Marller, before I get angry."_

Before she gets angry? She already sounds far too angry for my peace of mind. And that  **hurt**  .

_The ones in the red and green sailor suits moved to position themselves between her and the blonde one with a strange hairstyle and wings on the back of her suit. They looked as if they expected her to attack the blonde._

_"OK! OK! Just let go! All I did was drop a little time bomb into that...whatever it is!" Mara pointed at Skuld's latest creation. "It shouldn't have done...whatever it did."_

_"What it did, demon, was blow all of you out of your universe and into ours." The man in the trenchcoat stalked closer and glared into her eyes from close enough she could feel his breath. "Be thankful you're not a demon from **my**  universe, or you'd already be dead. As it is...if you want to live - much less get home - you're going to have to work  **with**  us, not against us. Is that understood?"_

_"You did WHAT?" Skuld shrieked, whipping out one of her toys. "I'm gonna blast you to smithereens!"_

_"Bring it on, brat!" Mara brought up her hands and began forming a ball of energy between them. Suddenly, a sword was at her throat, in the hands of the man in the trenchcoat. She was so surprised by his gall that she lost control of the energy ball. When it blew up, it stunned and knocked her to the floor._

_"Skuld! Don't!" Belldandy cried, moving to knock the device out of Skuld's hand. "If she was responsible for what happened, we need her to get home."_

_"And she needs us," Urd added, grinning maliciously. Mara felt herself shrinking under Urd's regard. She'd never seen an expression like this from Urd before. "This is too rich! If you want to get home, you're going to have to **help**  us, Marller!"_

_As Urd broke into maniacal laughter, Mara glared at the man, who shrugged and sheathed his sword, then offered her a hand._

_"I don't need your help, mortal! You'll pay for your effrontery!" Mara snarled, raising her hands to attack, preparing to call forth a ball of energy. As she was gathering enough energy to flash-fry him, he dropped, burying his fist in her belly. She didn't know how heavy he was, but the punch was definitely hard enough that the pain grayed out her perceptions for several minutes._

_"OK, demon. Here's the scoop. You can either let Belldandy bind you so you can't use your powers, or I can break both your arms and your legs, and cut your tongue out. We can always heal you up when it's time for you to go home."_

_It took a moment for the words to penetrate her fog, but when they did, Mara looked up at the human with shock that quickly shifted to terror. The coldness in his eyes was almost inhuman. She'd only seen anything like it before in the eyes of those who'd passed through death and no longer feared - or even cared - about it. She knew that he **would** do what he'd threatened, even if doing it killed him. Adding to the horror was the total lack of sadistic intent; she couldn't detect any indications of pleasure from him - it was as if he were simply taking the most efficient path to incapacitating her. Urd confronted him, but whatever she said was lost in Mara's fear. Why was he acting like this? Why was he threatening her this way? How did he know she was a demon?_

_"Since I can't be sure you could get home if I kill her, yes. I'm a demon hunter. I kill demons. And bound or crippled is the only way I'm going to let a live one in my home. So which will it be?" His voice penetrated her confusion, adding to her terror._

A demon hunter? But I thought they were mythical! What do I do now?

_"Belldandy? Keep that maniac away from me!" Mara screamed and scrambled backward across the bedroom floor, trying to put as much room as she could between herself and the demon hunter. Even other demons didn't scare her the way this human did._

_"I'm here, Mara," Belldandy murmured softly, kneeling beside her and taking her hands as the demon hunter and the blonde with the wings laughed. "I'm afraid we need their help to get home. I don't want you hurt, so will you allow me to bind you?"_

_"If it'll keep that maniac from touching me, yes," Mara whispered fearfully. "I thought demon hunters were mythical. I...I'm scared, Belldandy."_

_Mara bowed her head and closed her eyes, using every bit of her willpower to contain her fear. She knew it would make it easier for Belldandy to bind her, and that Belldandy wouldn't let anything happen to her while she was bound. Even the demon hunter wouldn't dare attack a Goddess, would he?_

* * *

"Do you think we'll be able to get home soon, Bug?" Urd murmured softly to Skuld, watching the Senshi gathered around Naru's body as Sailor Saturn healed it. "This world is far too brutal for me."

"I knew it was pretty harsh," Skuld replied absently as she studied the vacuum, "but I thought there was romance to it, too."

"Where's the romance in someone being in so much pain she has to die to ease it?" Urd grumbled. "I don't want to live in a world like that."

"Neither do I, oneesan," Skuld whispered, dropping her tools. Seeing her shoulders begin to shake, Urd pulled her into her arms and stroked her hair soothingly. Amazingly enough, Skuld's sobs were quiet, even if her tears did soak through the front of Urd's top.

"Can I help?" asked the pink-haired Usagi, kneeling beside them and producing a handkerchief. "It's not as bad as it seems."

"What do you mean?" Urd asked, taking the handkerchief and dabbing gently at Skuld's cheeks. The Bug could sometimes be a pain, but she was still her little sister, and it hurt to see her crying - especially in a situation like this, where she couldn't do anything about it. "Your friend is dead, killed by that...I'm not sure what to call him...because she asked him to."

"Demanded, actually," Usagi said softly, glancing over toward the others. "If he hadn't promised her he would, she would have killed herself. At least, this way, there's a chance we can get her back."

"A chance you can get her back?" Urd asked, not sure whether the idea of these mortals thinking they had a chance to cheat death was more surprising, or whether the girl's apparent casualness about it was.

"Yes. Did you notice how Fluorite isn't here? That's because he's on the other side, trying to talk her into coming back." Usagi smiled. "He's our Death Mage - and he's good. He's also Naru's best friend. If he can't talk her into coming back to us, nobody can."

"If that other boy couldn't convince her, how do you think Fluorite could?" Urd asked quietly. "I could see how much he loves her. If she wouldn't listen to him...."

"She was alive then. We're hoping that she'll see enough now to convince her that being dead isn't any better." Usagi looked back toward the others again, flashing a smile at Sailor Saturn - a smile much like the ones shared between Belldandy and Keiichi.

"I hope you're right," Urd murmured, as Skuld sat up and took the handkerchief from her. "As much as you all are trying to hide it, even...he...is hurting. And he's the one who killed her."

"You don't like him very much," Usagi said. "Why?"

"I don't know what to think of him," Urd growled uncertainly. "He's a sadist and a cold-blooded killer. At the same time, he's kind and gentle and he's somehow managed to make all of us fall for him. How can he be both at the same time?"

"He's not sadistic, or cold-blooded," Skuld said. "He's confusing. And he loves all of them - including Naru. I don't know what to expect with him, because he never appeared in any of the series."

"Skuld's right," Usagi said with a faint smile. "He is confusing. But then again, aren't ALL men? We have to hope Fluorite and Marller are successful. It's just frustrating, not being able to do anything. I don't know what the anime said about us, but I get the feeling it glossed over a lot."

"From what I've seen since we got here, I think it did, too," Skuld said. Urd shot her a worried look. She'd been hoping Skuld and Keiichi knew enough about this world to help them figure out what to do. It wasn't easy, accepting that she didn't know what to do, and if it was different enough for Skuld to admit it, this was a problem.

"We'll just have to play it by ear," Urd said, flashing her best maniacal grin in hopes that it would make Skuld feel better, at least. "I do my best work that way, anyway."

* * *

Mara's terror was so extreme it was painful. I hadn't felt fear like that since the time Fluorite - no, the Demonologist - had transformed me into a monster for Queen Beryl. I retreated to catch my breath and gather my wits; I wasn't going to be any help to her if I let her memory affect me like that. While it was a strong memory, it didn't explain why she had come to help me. I needed to know more - and I couldn't afford to spend so much time in each memory. I was going to have to skim them, to get an idea of what they were about, until I could find the ones that would help me understand - maybe even help me understand how to reach her.

 

_"In this world, you're barely as evil as one of the dark fae. A demon from this world is so much more evil than you, you'd look like a saint by comparison." Bill's smile looked so genuine, so much a contrast from the coldness that had been in his eyes when he'd threatened her, that Mara didn't know what to think. And his way of describing the local demons...that didn't seem possible. Only humans could be as evil as he claimed the demons were._

 

_"...and then there was the time we crammed him into a copy of Sailor Pluto's uniform. There's not much that's funnier looking than a guy in a sailor suit. I'll bet David has pictures on file somewhere." Ami giggled and winked, as Bill turned an interesting shade of red, much like Keiichi used to when Urd made suggestive remarks, before he and Belldandy had married._

_"Show those pictures to **anybody**  , and I'll punish both of you!" Bill growled, tugging Ami into his lap and tickling her. His actions struck Mara as an odd way to "punish" her. Then again, everything about him was odd - his attitude, his behavior, the way he'd switched from cold-hearted killer to friendly, playful, and inviting host, all of it was confusing. But she found she liked this kind of confusion. It was much more enjoyable than the confusion her supervisors liked to create._

 

_"Oh, I don't know...you could always try dancing with me," Bill had said, and now Mara was in his arms. For the first time in her life, she wasn't using dancing to seduce someone or trigger a fight between two people; she didn't know quite what she was doing, but she liked it._

_If this was what dancing was like for humans, she understood why they liked it so much. The feeling of being so close to someone, simply because it felt good, was very different from using her body to tempt someone, or getting close enough to be inside their defenses. It was a simple pleasure, one that made her feel as if she were being absorbed into his life._

_When Ami cut in, Mara felt an instant of fear, until she realized it was **her**  that Ami was choosing to dance with, not Bill. Ami smiled warmly and drew her close, taking over the lead smoothly, as if she'd done it many times._

_"It's ok, Mara," Ami murmured gently. "Bill and I dance with each other most nights, so you're not stealing our time together. We thought, being a demon, you'd be equally comfortable with either of us, so now it's my turn." She smiled playfully and gave Mara a quick friendly kiss._

_"How am I supposed to resist you?" Mara complained softly, resting her head on Ami's shoulder. "Between the two of you, you make me feel ways I've never felt before."_

_"You're not supposed to resist us," Ami said, gently stroking Mara's hair. "You're feeling exactly what we want you to feel - because it's what's really there."_

_"But...I'm afraid," Mara whispered. "I'm afraid I won't want to go home when it's time...I won't want to lose you."_

_"You won't lose us, Mara," Ami murmured soothingly. "If you let your heart take us in, we'll always be there, in your memory. And who knows? Maybe the way we find to get you home will allow you to come back and visit us."_

 

_The human's eyes were vacant, as if she had no soul - yet Mara could feel a soul within her body. This didn't make any sense; what could make a human's soul withdraw so completely?_

_"What happened? What's wrong with her?" As much as it horrified the others, Mara hoped they would have a better idea than she did. It was their world, after all._

_"She was possessed," Rei growled softly. "By a demon."_

_"A demon? But that's not supposed to happen! It never happened to anyone I've possessed!" Mara was shocked and horrified by the very idea. She'd never heard of someone reacting to possession that way. "What kind of monster could do that?"_

_"An imp," Bill groaned. He was just sitting up where Ami had lowered him to the floor. "Just a fucking imp. Didn't take any effort at all to kill it, but the damage was already done."_

_"An imp? But imps are harmless!" Mara exclaimed in disbelief. Imps were annoying, but no more dangerous than a lapdog. He had to be mistaken. "How could this happen?"_

_"Go in and see for yourself. I tried to find her, but wherever she is, I can't go." Bill moved up to Naru and gently brushed her hair back._

_The way he looked at Naru made Mara feel like crying. It was the same way Belldandy looked at Skuld - like she was his little sister. She'd wanted to find out what had really happened before: now she HAD to find out. If this woman inspired that kind of affection, she had to know her. Maybe it would help her understand him; maybe it would help her understand what she was feeling._

 

Now we were getting somewhere. If I could follow this memory through to the end, I thought it would give me the answers I was looking for. It was unsettling, seeing myself through Mara's eyes, but if it would help me understand her, I was willing to do it.

 

_"So...horrible...," Mara whispered sadly as Setsuna lowered the sleeping Naru to the pillows. "I understand...why she has so much despair. I...couldn't take it all. Just the last time. I'm not strong enough...to take more than that."_

_Mara watched Naru, barely noticing when Setsuna squeezed her hand. After all she'd been through in Naru's mind, she felt that she understood her far better than anyone - even Urd. The feelings within her as she watched her sleep were knotting her up inside. She wanted to gather Naru up in her arms and protect her from the world; she wanted to make the rest of her life happy enough to make up for the pain of her past._

_Her heart chilled as she thought about the promise Naru had extracted from Bill, and knew that he would do what she asked. She wished she'd been strong enough to take all Naru's pain and despair from her, but the last attack had been so horrible, it had been all she could do to take it from her. If she'd had to live through it, as Naru had, she knew she'd have done the same - either retreated from the world or killed herself. If only there were some way to heal her...._

 

Poor Mara. The worst thing that could possibly happen to a demon was learning to love - and that was what had happened to her. I couldn't leave her now; not after learning so much about her. She loved me - based only on my memories - the way I loved Fluorite and Usagi. More than ever, I was convinced she couldn't be pure demon. Either that or the demons in her world were far different than those in mine. I started to wonder if she and Urd really were half-sisters, or if the relationship might possibly be closer. If that was the case, there were a couple parents who owed her a lot of explanation - not that those two were ever likely to grant it....

As I approached Mara, the storms within her mind whipped around me like a hurricane. By exposing herself the way she had, she was completely at the mercy of the pain she'd taken from me, and it was making a real mess of her soul. Definitely not pure demon.... I had to force my way through the winds, without using any of the magic I'd mastered in Atlantis. It wasn't easy. David, I know you want a complete record, but I've already told you far more about Mara than I should have. I'm not going to reveal the things I experienced while fighting my way to her heart.

* * *

"I'm here, Mara. Take my hands." The gentle voice penetrated the veil of fear, pain, and horror that engulfed Mara. What kind of trick was the demon trying now? Her name was Naru, not Mara. She couldn't run, but she wasn't going to let it steal her identity, too.

"Shh...it's all right, Mara," the voice crooned lovingly. She felt arms wrapping around her and drawing her into a gentle embrace. This didn't make any sense. The demon had been cruel, ruthless, doing things to her she didn't want to remember, let alone feel again. Gentleness didn't fit into what it had done in any way.

Hands gently brushed her hair back and wiped away her tears, as the voice cooed wordlessly, its sound a soothing vibration that reached into her heart and made her feel as if there might be a shadow of hope, even here. Maybe Sailor Moon had found her; maybe she was safe now. She opened her eyes and looked around hesitantly, finally raising her gaze to look on...herself?

"No! Get away from me, demon! I won't let you take my identity, too!" Mara scrambled out of Naru's arms, backing away with terror rising in her heart. If the demon took her identity, it could use her body to attack the others! She couldn't let that happen. She had to fight it...but how? It had already ravaged her so thoroughly she didn't believe she had anything left to fight with.

_Maybe it'll kill me...but at least then it won't have my body to use against the others. It's worth it - and Bill won't have to do it for me this way._

Mara threw herself at the invader, screaming incoherently as she used the last of her strength to fight the demon. Naru caught her in mid leap and pulled her in, letting herself fall beneath Mara's body as she embraced the confused demon.

"It's all right, Mara. The demon's dead. It can't hurt you any more. It can't hurt  **us**  any more." Naru held Mara close, trapping her arms in her embrace and lying beneath her as she sobbed brokenly.

"Not Mara," Mara sobbed. "Naru. I'm Naru. You can't lie to me. You can't take who I am away from me. Just kill me now. Just let me die."

"Shh...neither of us is going to die, honey," Naru crooned gently. "You're my friend, Mara. Just close your eyes and remember...remember who you are. I'll be with you, and I won't let anything hurt you. It's ok...you're safe now."

Mara whimpered as she tried to escape, only to find she didn't have the strength to get away. The demon's crooning was so soothing...so beguiling...her resistance began to crumble. As the demon continued crooning, she nestled against it, and felt as if she were betraying her friends by letting it take her so easily.

* * *

We didn't know what to expect when we got to Ami and Bill's house. Artemis' phone call had been followed immediately by contact from David, trying to convince us that there wasn't really any need to worry, unless we could think of a way to convince Naru not to die. That was more than bad enough. The only reason she'd want to die was if she'd been used by enemies we hadn't destroyed yet.

I was glad Tokyo doesn't have traffic cops like those two maniacs from "You're Under Arrest!" - it made it a lot easier to slip into Bill's garage before the real traffic cops could get close enough to see where we'd gone. Michiru gave me one of her looks as the door closed behind us and David turned on the lights. I was pretty sure the only thing that spared me an acid remark on the life expectancy of my license was her concern for Naru.

The others were gathered in the living room, along with four strangers, three of whom looked like the real-life equivalent of the anime angels in a print on the wall. The gathering was divided into three clusters: the strangers, with Mamoru; Minako, Makoto, and Rei; and everyone else. Hotaru was crouched, with Chibi-Usa behind her. The glow of her healing power was fading as we entered the room.

Ami had Bill in her arms - not surprising given the despairing whimper we'd heard when we were still ten blocks away. He held a large knife in a white-knuckled grip, with blood dripping from the blade onto his pants. The floor where the others were gathered was covered with more blood - enough to soak into the clothes of those who were kneeling.

**Where's Fluorite?**

**He's trying to talk Naru into coming back. I hope Marller isn't making it harder for him.**

**Who's Marller?**

**She's the demon who came with the Goddesses.**

"She's the WHAT?" Well, I never was noted for my subtlety, and they knew we were there now.

"You must mean Marller," Luna said as the others looked at us in surprise. "Mara's a demon. Sort of. At least, in  **her**  world, she's a demon. In  **our**  world, she's more like a faerie."

"This sounds strange," Michiru murmured. "Perhaps you'd better explain before this goes any further."

"It is strange," Luna said, "but if you take the time to get to know them, it'll make sense. The important thing to know right now is that Marller loves Naru, even if she doesn't realize it herself, and she's already risked her life and sanity once to help her."

"A demon loves...anyone?" I definitely didn't buy that. Demons and love were antithetical. You might as well say a slug could fly under its own power. Then again, a flying slug was more likely.

"That's right. And she doesn't realize that's what it is. Remember, this demon is more like a faerie. Remember the kitsune who came to Ami's wedding? Marller's about as evil as she was." Luna seemed certain of her opinion. I didn't know what to think; if anything, Luna's usually too suspicious of strangers, so this was disconcerting.

"Luna's right, sis," Bill murmured wearily. "I'm sure Marller's trying to help Fluorite right now. I just hope Naru's new understanding means she doesn't freak out at her presence."

"Being dead doesn't improve your understanding," I growled - softly, given how depressed he looked. I was a little surprised he appeared as together as he did; having to kill someone he loved like a sister must have pushed him to the limit of his will.

"Hell, I know that, sis. But reliving the experiences from your previous lives that most strongly affected this life can do it." He smiled weakly. "And what she relived was certainly a doozy. She knows why she's a monster magnet. But that didn't change her desire to die. The only thing I could do was make it as fast and painless as possible."

"Well, you're certainly good at making it fast," I teased, hoping it would help. "And if that thing's as sharp as your other blades, you probably could have cut her head off without it hurting much."

He looked up, trying to smile despite the pain in his eyes. It's hard to see that. Killing enemies doesn't even break his stride: he'll carve a demon into pieces, then complain about how he can't just transform and magically freshen his clothes the way we can. The expression in his eyes said he'd rather have killed himself.

"She said it didn't hurt," he murmured. "That's the only good thing out of this so far."

"I wouldn't say it's the  **only**  good thing," someone called from the cluster around Naru's body. It sounded like Naru, but that didn't make sense, unless Fluorite was a lot faster when talking with the dead than he is when talking with the living. "Ami, could I borrow a dress? This outfit's kind of ruined."

The general sounds of joy from that group were matched by the sudden appearance of happiness in both Bill and Ami's faces. I looked, and saw Naru gathered up with a joyful cry by Umino. Seeing the joy he greeted her return with, I reached for Michiru's hand, and felt her gently pull me closer. I never could resist her; we ended up with our arms around each other as we watched the joyful reunion.

Fluorite faded into view, holding hands with a woman who looked as if she could be the sister of one of the Goddesses. On the other hand, her outfit was quite a bit less tasteful. We both can read English a lot better than we can speak it, so the motto on her T-shirt didn't inspire any trust. She looked wistfully at Naru and Umino; an expression definitely at odds with the T-shirt.

"That's Marller," Luna said smugly. She has to be the only being in the universe who can outdo Setsuna in the area of smugness. "Leave her be for now, ok?"

"Please, sis?" Bill asked, looking up at me pleadingly. When Ami's gaze showed she agreed with them, I looked to Michiru - as much to hide my confusion as to get her opinion. This was so unlike them, I didn't know what to think.

Naru solved the problem for all of us when she wiggled out of Umino's arms and threw her arms around Marller with a happy cry.

"You see, Mara? I came back, just like I promised. And if you feel guilty about my choice, I'm going to have to spank you." Naru giggled and squeezed Marller, a lot like the way Bill does to me when he decides I need some brotherly affection. As if that were a signal, the others gathered around Naru and welcomed her back with a babbling chorus and hugs from everyone.

"David, do we have enough hot water for everyone?" Bill asked with a fond smile as he watched the others smeared with blood in their eagerness to welcome Naru home. I had to join in his amusement; once they saw what a mess they'd made of themselves, I was certain we could count on dismayed cries from Minako and Usagi, at the very least.

"Only if you use the big tub. There's no way I can heat enough water for everyone in the house to take private baths." David sounded as relieved as the rest of us. It's hard to remember he's a computer sometimes, with the way he acts so human.

"I think that's up to the ladies," Bill laughed. "I'm not even going to  **try**  to speak for them."

Ami whispered to him, and he cast a calculating glance our way. Michiru stiffened just a little, and I gave him my best glare - ok, the best glare I could give him, which is just a little better than the best glare I can give Michiru.

"Try it, and die," I growled, guessing at what I thought he probably had in mind. When both Ami and Michiru giggled, in stereo, I knew my guess was right - and those two had either put him up to it, or were in agreement with him. I tried glaring at them, only to be rewarded by playful laughter as Ami took the hand Michiru didn't already control.

"Just relax and enjoy it, beloved," Michiru murmured, nuzzling my ear in the way she knew I couldn't resist. Did she  **really**  want to tease me that way? Sharing a tub with the others was a good way to push the limits of my self-control. Every one of them was beautiful in her own way, and I'd been in trouble far too many times when my gaze had lingered on one or another longer than she liked.

"Listen to your sweetheart, Haruka," Ami murmured at my other ear, stretching to nuzzle in unison with Michiru. This was definitely not something I'd expected from  **her**  . She was happily married, to the man I loved like a brother; this was totally out of character for her. "Trust us, Haruka. You know we wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

That's the problem: I knew that, but it didn't ease my worries about hurting Michiru, even accidentally. I looked over, and saw Chibi-Usa and Hotaru headed for the back hall, where the "big tub", as David called it, had been installed behind the lab and garage. The big tub was as large as the pools in a small public bath, and the shower that led to it had a half-dozen sprays. Ami had invited us over several times when Bill was out of town on business; I'd always declined, for exactly the same reason I was hesitating now.

When Usagi whispered to Naru, she laughed and dragged Marller toward the back hall, leaving a confused Umino behind. Ami grinned at me and left Michiru to urge me toward the bath while she moved toward the Goddesses.


	2. The Trouble with Keiichi

Skuld looked around the tub, still trying to get used to the idea of all these people so openly loving each other - and inviting her and her sisters to be a part of their lives. The men had been left behind in the living room when they'd moved to "the big tub", as David had called it. It would have been more accurate to call it a small swimming pool. She'd never seen a tub this big outside of a public bath; yet here it was, in a part of the house she hadn't seen yet.

There was a laboratory off the hall that led to the bath; Skuld made a mental note to talk with Ami and Bill about it later. For now, she had a more serious job to deal with.

"Ack! You BRAT!" Urd shrieked as the water Skuld splashed over her head dripped through her hair. She raised her hand and began chanting, swirling water around her as she called up magical energy.

Skuld grinned and began chanting, raising water to counter Urd's. It wasn't as easy as modifying Banpei to hose her down, but there was something deeply satisfying about doing it herself. As Urd's water man  _Why does she always make them so anatomically correct?_  took form, Skuld's water pillar reached the ceiling and became coherent enough for her to manipulate easily.

Suddenly, the water in the tub drained away, leaving Urd's water man and her water pillar without any support. They both looked toward where the water had drained toward; Skuld gulped worriedly. All the water in the tub had piled up at the far end, between Ami and...Michiru, that was her name..., who were grinning in unison at her and Urd, while every other person in the room - including Belldandy - was moving away from the tub as quickly as they could.

The wave broke, crashing down on Skuld and Urd and washing them across the room until they crashed into the wall by the shower. When she recovered from the impact, Skuld found herself lying on the floor of the bath beside Urd. Belldandy and Usagi were kneeling beside them, with amusement and concern battling for supremacy in their expressions. Ami was leaning against the side of the tub, her chin propped in her hands, with a look of amusement in her eyes.

"You two may be Goddesses, but Michiru and I are mistresses of water. Just wait until we get you on the beach." It was weird, the way none of the people here seemed to care that they were Goddesses. Ami's voice wasn't full of awe, dread, or any of the other emotions Skuld was used to hearing in mortal voices. She actually sounded as if she was teasing.

* * *

The women had all departed for the bath, and Bill was looking around at the rest of us. Keiichi was the only one of us who wasn't covered with blood, and he was still staring at Bill in shock. From what I'd seen so far, he was bound to be experiencing shock after shock as long as he was with us; he was far too nice for the real world - or, at least, for THIS world.

"Keiichi, would you do me a favor?" Bill suddenly asked. "The three of us need to get cleaned up and into some clothes that aren't stained. Would you stay down here with Fluorite and Rusty and take care of the door if anyone comes?"

"Uh...ok...." Keiichi sounded as uncertain as he looked. Well, it was a start, at least. If they stayed much longer, we could hope he'd learn to accept things.

"Mamoru, you're about my size, so I can loan you some sweats. Umino, I'm afraid all I can offer you is shorts. Will that work for you guys?" Bill looked down at the pool of blood on the floor as he spoke, grimaced, and looked back up at us. I couldn't really blame him. The only way to get rid of the blood was with magic - or by tearing up the floor and putting a new one in.

"Yeah, that should work," Umino murmured absently, looking toward the back hall. I hoped that this time the two of them would finally do something about their feelings for each other.

"Mamoru?"

"Huh? Oh...yes, that will work. Sorry. I was thinking." I glanced toward Bill and noticed the half-smile he was offering. I suspected it would be a while before he got over killing Naru, but at least he was trying.

"No problem." He nodded and led the way upstairs. "Give me a minute. As soon as I'm clean, I'll dig out clothes for you guys."

While he was in the shower, we felt a crash from the back of the house. I didn't feel any danger, but it was unnerving: that was where the big bath was.

**What happened, Dumpling?**

**What do you mean, Muffin?**

_Hmm...she sounds far too innocent. Something is definitely going on._

**It felt as if a truck just crashed into the back of the house.**

**Oh, that! That wasn't anything important. It was just a water fight.**

**JUST a water fight? With Ami and Michiru there?**

**Uh-huh. Urd and Skuld started it, and Ami and Michiru washed them away. The rest of us got out in plenty of time.**

**You, my love, sound as if you're having far too much fun.**

**I'd have more fun if you were here. Pleeeeeeease?**

_Boy, am I glad I'm not close enough for her to cry on me._

**I'm sorry, Dumpling, but I'm not going to risk upsetting the others. We don't want to make our guests unhappy, do we?**

**Well....**

**You're an imp, Usako. Did you know that?**

**Of course I am, Mamo-chan! I'm YOUR imp!**

The image Usagi sent with that was explicit enough to remind me she's not the innocent little bunny she was when I married her - if anything, she was as enthusiastic about that part of our lives as she was about eating. I sent her a promise to take her up on that image as soon as we got home, and smiled at Umino.

"It was just a water fight, Umino. They always overdo it." I had to laugh as I said that: they DO always overdo it. The last time we were all at the beach, Ami and Michiru had almost swamped a passing cruise ship with the backwash of their play. I made a note to remind them of that when we were all in the living room again.

"Just a water fight?" Umino asked, surprised. "That felt like someone dropped a boulder on the house."

"Not a boulder. Just the entire contents of the big tub. That's...how big is it, David?" I knew the tub was around 3 meters wide and 7 meters long, maybe a meter deep, so it held a lot of water. Given a couple minutes to do the math, I could figure it out, but I was sure David had the numbers filed away somewhere.

"A little over 100 koku. That'd be...about 18 tons."

"Eighteen tons?" Umino's mouth dropped open, reminding me of that move Usagi and Rei called a face-fault when it appeared in any of the anime they watched. "But...how?"

"Ami and Michiru did it. Just like they did the last time we were at the beach. Remember?"

"How can I forget? I thought we were being hit by a tsunami. If I hadn't already mostly figured out who they all were, I'd have been a lot more worried. The way they almost sank that cruise ship was worrisome enough." Umino smiled and murmured, "The way Naru looked when I caught her was all the compensation I could ask for, though."

"I'm sure it was."

I remembered that he'd looked as if his every dream had come true when Naru had clung to him. He'd also looked as if he was scared to death. I'd thought it was kind of funny: he's the same guy who had tried to protect Naru from Zoisite with nothing more than fried shrimp, yet openly admitting his feelings to Naru had - before tonight - terrified him.

"I've got to remember to reinforce this place when I get that construction mech built," Bill commented as he walked past with a towel wrapped around his waist. He grinned and glanced toward the back of the house. "I forgot how dangerous it is to put Ami and Michiru together in a large amount of water. Almost as dangerous as leaving Usagi and Chibi-Usa unsupervised in an ice cream shop."

"You realize, of course, that I'm going to have to punish you," I laughed. He had both of them pegged, but I had to at least make a show of argument. After all, it was my wife and daughter he was talking about. The way he grinned at me in response made it clear he had expected - maybe even hoped - that I'd react that way. I'm never quite sure what to think of him - except that he's absolutely devoted to Ami and loves all of us like family. I waggled my fingers at him and growled playfully, "Lucky for you I don't have any roses handy."

"Yup." Bill grinned and waved casually as he went into his bedroom. I shook my head and waved Umino into the bathroom.

"Go on. I'm not nearly as bloody as you are."

"Thanks, Mamoru. I'll be as quick as I can. I just hope there's some way to get the blood out of these clothes." He looked down at the stains with a sour expression, then shook his head and vanished into the bathroom.

I leaned against the wall between the bathroom door and Bill and Ami's room, and thought about the day's events. With the Goddesses and Marller here, I had a feeling things were going to be unstable - and remain that way until we could get them home. I knew Ami and Bill would be working as hard as they could, but I really wished we had more for them to work with. The problem with having a memory like Swiss cheese was that I could never be sure if there was even something I should remember, let alone if I'd forgotten something important.

After a few minutes, I gave up trying to remember and tipped my head back against the wall. That's when I heard the sounds of singing coming through the bedroom door. I strained my ears to hear more clearly, and grumbled to myself when I realized he was singing in English. It's not that I don't understand it, it's just that I have to think about it to make the translation. And that makes songs harder to follow. Well, usually. I'd heard this one before, though, so it wasn't the problem it usually is. Either he had found some inspiration, or he was trying to lift his spirits. I hoped it was the first option; we needed all the inspiration we could get.

I only know what I can see   
So I imagine what could be   
Where the horizon cuts the air   
Look for me out there

Someday I'll touch the blue blue sky   
Someday I'll touch the blue blue sky

If I could kiss this Earth goodbye   
And cruise the never ending sky   
Where the horizon cuts the air   
Wait for me down there

Someday I'll touch the blue blue sky   
Someday I'll touch the blue blue sky

I had to smile, at least a little. It's good to remember to dream; it gives you the strength to do what you couldn't otherwise. We've all been reminded of that enough times over the years, but it never hurts to remember again.

* * *

Keiichi looked at the other two men in the room, trying to get a sense for them. Other than the fact that they were lovers, and that Fluorite was a mage, he didn't really know anything about them. Rusty looked as if he were relieved Fluorite had made it back unscathed from wherever he'd been.

Fluorite was a puzzle. As far as Keiichi could remember from the anime, the only people who ever had mineral names were the bad guys - yet the Senshi treated Fluorite like family, and he acted like a good guy. It was, to say the least, confusing.

"Fluorite-san, would you help me understand something?" Keiichi decided the only way to find the answer to his confusion was to go straight to the source. "How is it that you're a friend to the Senshi? In the anime, the only people with names like yours were enemies."

"Names like mine?" Fluorite asked with a smile. "Here I thought I was kind of unique."

"Umm...yeah. Let me think a minute...Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, Kunzite...um...Cooan...Kaolinite...Beryl...Cyprine...Zirconia...." Keiichi trailed off at the pained expression on Fluorite's face. Some of those names - especially Beryl - obviously had painful associations for him.

"I don't know some of those names," Fluorite murmured, "But Endymion's generals...and Queen Beryl...I do know."

"Endymion's generals? I thought they were Beryl's generals," Keiichi blurted out, surprised. Fluorite looked as if he'd just been punched in the stomach, making Keiichi instantly sorry he'd said anything.

"Beryl made them hers...but they were Endymion's, as I was, during the Silver Millenium. Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite were Endymion's generals, his friends, his confidants...and when Beryl corrupted them, she was able to strike at the heart of the Earth Kingdom. When she corrupted me, she was able to strike magically the way the generals allowed her to strike physically." Fluorite took a deep breath, clenching his fists, and leaned into Rusty's embrace. It was obvious that remembering this struck right at his heart.

"And...now?" Something had to have happened for Fluorite to survive Beryl's destruction.

"Now I'm where I belong. At the side of my Prince, supporting him and the Princess in whatever way they need me. As long as I have Rusty at my side, I have the strength to do whatever they need." The look he gave Rusty was unmistakable: Keiichi had given it to Belldandy enough to understand without question.

"This is really weird. I mean, it's weird enough to end up in the world of Sailor Moon...but you say Beryl's generals were really Endymion's? And you were his, too? What happened? What brought you back again and not them?"

* * *

I'll admit it: I cringed when I heard Keiichi's question. Fluorite beats up on himself enough without a stranger digging at the one thing that he never stops feeling unnecessarily guilty over. If everything I'd heard about Queens Beryl and Metallia was right, the only chance he'd had to resist them was to kill himself before they could capture him. And that would have required him to have at least a few seconds to act between the time he realized Beryl's forces were coming and their arrival. That was something that, as far as I could tell, he hadn't had.

When I rested my hand on his shoulder, I felt how tense he was. I moved behind him and began working on his muscles; everyone I've ever been close to has always raved about my skill at massage, and Fluorite was no exception. He definitely needed that skill. Even with my total concentration on his shoulders and neck, he still didn't relax for several minutes. When he did, he started talking, softly and detached - the way I've heard Bill sometimes talk about his ex-wife now that she's dead.

"It was during the war with Atlantis. Beryl was Queen of Atlantis, and Metallia was...well, there were a lot of stories about her, none of them good. Jadeite was the commander of Endymion's personal guard, as well as the General of the Fire Division. Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite were the remainder of the personal guard, and commanded their own soldiers, as well. Nephrite commanded the Wood Division, Zoisite commanded the Wave Division, and Kunzite commanded the Metal Division. The King commanded the Earth Division, which left Endymion somewhat at loose ends.

"I was teaching the Prince a few basics of magical defense when Beryl's army brought the war to our land. It's kind of ironic, you know: Tokyo is where the Earth Kingdom's capitol was. The location had been chosen for its beauty, not its defensibility. The first King Endymion had wanted a showplace - a city that would inspire faith in those who saw it. And it worked, too - right up until Beryl went on her rampage. Now...all that's left of the Earth Kingdom are the Ainu.

"When we could see the battles from the palace, Endymion's father ordered him to retreat to the Moon. Queen Serenity was expecting him, and all he had to do was use one of the palace teleportals. But, of course, he refused to go. He thought it was his duty to fight, even though the rest of us knew it was his duty to survive, no matter what happened.

"Since the others weren't available, I had to take matters into my own hands. I put him to sleep, just long enough to send him to the Moon and destroy the teleportals so he couldn't return - and so Beryl's army couldn't use them.

"We had a powerful army, but she had creatures that weren't human - and were mostly impervious to ordinary attacks. The youma could only be effectively fought with magic, or with weapons that were more powerful than anything our soldiers had available to them. So, I barely had enough time to destroy the teleportals before the first of the youma reached the palace. They caught me when I was too weak to fight - and too slow to kill myself before they could immobilize me.

"Beryl was a sadist. She relished the idea of corrupting us, and went at it with enthusiasm. The first thing she did was arrange so we could watch - but not do anything - as she destroyed the Moon Kingdom. The one good thing to come out of that was Queen Serenity's last act - sending the Princesses and the Prince into the future, where Beryl couldn't reach them. Unfortunately, only Malachite was lucky enough to die before she spent her rage."

Fluorite stopped and leaned back against me. I gave him a good solid hug, not saying anything. Keiichi had that poleaxed look again; obviously, this world was far too harsh for him - harsh enough that I worried a little about his sanity.

"From what Naru told me, Nephrite had started to slip free of Beryl's corruption...and that's why he was killed. But that was nearly ten years ago, so I'm afraid his spirit is out of my reach. The others were still under her control when they were killed. Well, nobody's sure if Jadeite was killed; he just disappeared.

"I was sent forward in time by Beryl to capture a temporal nexus that she believed would give her more power. Instead, Bill captured and freed me of Beryl's control. I still have trouble believing how lucky I was."

"Freed you?" Keiichi asked, with an incredulous look on his face. "That cold-blooded killer?"

That wasn't good. I'd thought he'd have figured things out by now, but I guess his brain was still frozen from the shock of everything that had happened since he got here.

"Cold-blooded killer?" Fluorite asked gently, using that tone of voice that always broke down my resistance. "Well, when it comes to demons he is. He's not nearly cold-blooded enough when it comes to human enemies. He's harder than the Princess, but we're ALL harder than she is."

"But...how could he kill Naru? Hasn't she suffered enough?"

"That's exactly why he did it. She's suffered so much that she would have killed herself if he hadn't. His promise to kill her if it happened again was the only thing that kept her from killing herself when he rescued her from me." I gave Fluorite a quick squeeze; remembering what he'd done as the Demonologist always upset him - and upset him more when it touched on people he loved, like Naru. It took a few moments, but he finally relaxed against me with a soft sigh.

"She'd have killed herself...it's so hard to imagine," Keiichi murmured. "She was always so hopeful, even after Nephrite died."

"TV isn't always like reality," I said softly. "If it were, you'd know about me, Fluorite, Bill, Sarah...."

"Sarah? Who's that?" I'd forgotten he'd been asleep when we were introduced - and Sarah's real good at fading into the woodwork when other people are working.

"Sarah is Lady Pluto's consort," Fluorite said. "Rusty is right. Dramatizations, even of actual events, can never portray everything you need to know about them. There are always things - sometimes very important things - that are never mentioned. How much do you know about Naru?"

"Well, she's Usagi's friend, she's dating Umino, she gets attacked a lot, and she loved Nephrite. I really don't know anything else." Keiichi slowly shook his head. "There's a lot I don't know about her, I guess."

"That's all right. You'd have to spend time with her, if you really wanted to know her." Fluorite was smiling distantly, obviously thinking about Naru. "Let me tell you what a wonderful girl she is...."

* * *

Skuld sat back and flexed her fingers for a moment before rising to her feet and wandering into the kitchen for some ice cream. David was helping, but not as much as she'd like. The problem was that he didn't really understand hyperdimensional physics - he only understood enough to operate the MacManusite forming machines. Then again, none of them really understood the subject. Bill and Edgar knew the most, and they were making it up as they went along. She'd spent the last week teaching Ami, Bill, Rusty, and Sarah, while typing all of the math into David.

"Mmm...what's for dinner, Oneesama? I don't recognize the smell, but it smells delicious." Skuld opened the freezer door and stepped in to get a cup of chocolate ice cream. As she closed the freezer behind her, she smiled at Belldandy and waved her ice cream triumphantly. A hyperdimensional walk-in freezer was a great idea; she'd have to remember to build one like it when they got home.

"I'm trying something Western today," Belldandy said with a loving smile. "It's called Yankee Pot Roast."

"That explains why it smells almost like a Viking meal," Skuld laughed. "It's been a long time since we had so much meat in a meal, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has. I hope it doesn't make anyone ill." Belldandy always worried about things like that; it was one of the things that made her such a wonderful sister.

"Well, if it does, we'll just have to give them some ginger tea, won't we?" Skuld suggested. "Say, why don't you just serve ginger tea with the meal? That'll take care of it before it happens, right?"

"Besides, you like ginger," Belldandy teased lovingly, moving toward the spice cabinet. "It's a lovely idea. I'll just start that right now."

Skuld smiled happily and wandered out toward the living room, where Urd and Mara were playing a Sailor V video game. It was still kind of strange, seeing Mara trying so desperately to fit in. The resemblance between her and Urd was incredible. If Urd's hair weren't platinum blonde while Mara's was honey blonde, they'd look like twins. Skuld gasped, dropping her ice cream and covering her mouth in shock as the implications flowed through her mind.

"Bug? What's wrong?" Urd was suddenly beside her, gathering her in with the gentleness she never showed except when Skuld was truly unhappy or in trouble.

"Skuld? Can we help?" Mara asked, hovering just out of reach; she looked as if she wanted to join Urd in comforting her, but was afraid.

"Kami-sama...how could you?" Skuld whispered, extending a hand to Mara. "It's ok...I just...would you two mind if I asked Ami to study you? I just thought of something, and I HAVE to know if I'm right."

Mara looked over Skuld's head at Urd questioningly for a moment, then smiled and took Skuld's hand as she moved in to join the embrace.

"That depends on how you want her to study us," Urd said, using that tone of voice that always made Skuld feel funny inside. She knew what Urd meant, and was annoyed that she couldn't figure out if her big sister was teasing or not.

"With her visor!" Skuld yelled, then looked up and gave Urd a big "Biiih!"

"Is she always like this?" Mara asked; Skuld thought she caught a wink as Mara looked at Urd, but she wasn't sure.

"Oh yeah," Urd said. "We've definitely got to get her laid. She's far too uptight."

"You...you...you...pervert!" Skuld sputtered; when Urd and Mara laughed in unison, she stared at them in surprise.

"Gotcha, Bug!" Urd laughed. "You gonna eat your ice cream now, or you gonna let it melt into the floor?"

"Zing!" Mara added, laughing along with Urd. "Do you know how worrisome it is when you're so wrapped up in your work you don't even take the time to argue with your sister?" She paused for a moment, then raised her hands wardingly. "Hey, don't get any ideas, kid. I'm just doing this because you're my ticket home."

Skuld gave Mara a nice healthy "Biiih!", too. She knew better than to believe that. Especially if what she suspected was true.

* * *

Keiichi just wasn't entering into the spirit of this trip. We'd gotten together to take him to see Haruka race, and he just kept looking around as if he expected something terrible to happen any moment. If the others were as frustrated as I was, it was definitely a failure all the way around. I guess I was showing it more than I thought; Hotaru suddenly squirmed in my arms and looked up at me with a worried expression.

"What is it, Cupcake?" I whispered to her, finding a smile growing on my lips as I drank in her beauty. The only one who'd ever stolen my heart as she had was Elios, and...well, I'd promised myself I wouldn't dwell on anything sad today. No matter how much you love someone, you can't live forever in dreams.

"I'm worried," Hotaru murmured softly. "Keiichi seems so...shadowed. Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

"I'd hoped this would help, but it doesn't seem to be working." I glanced toward Keiichi and noticed several of the others were doing the same. "I'm afraid only Belldandy can help him. I just hope we can find a way to get them home."

"Hey, Keiichi!" Rusty called; he'd kind of adopted Keiichi, and had been running interference between Keiichi and Bill since the first day. "What do you think of Haruka's bike?"

"It's a strange design," Keiichi murmured, turning his attention to the racecourse. "It seems to work for her, but I'd love to see the blueprints and design notes."

That was good. According to David, Keiichi is an engineer, and if we could get him wrapped up in his work, it should help him cope with our world. This was one of those times I wished I had Mom's ability to make people feel good - it bothered me to see someone hurting the way he was. I could see she was bothered by it, too.

"No problem," Rusty answered with a grin. "I happen to know that David has them all filed safely away. We'll give you printouts or a disk to keep. How's that?"

"That sounds good. I'm sure Skuld will want to see them, too." That was hopeful. If Keiichi was thinking about Skuld, that meant he was thinking less about himself - not that he'd done all that much thinking this week. He'd been too busy feeling...uncertain, lost, apprehensive, vulnerable...it wasn't good.

**Usagi? Do you have any ideas?**

**Sorry, Chibi-Usa. The only idea I have is that we need to get him home. The longer he's here, the worse it gets. At least Rusty's keeping him from losing it completely.**

**I've been reading Rei's manga. If that's what their world is like, it's no wonder he's having trouble.**

**I know. It would be wonderful if our world were like that, but I'll bet it's not even that innocent in the future, is it?**

**Not even when I was little. I don't know what I'd do if life were that....**

**Boring? Monotonous? Utterly lacking in thrills, excitement, and adventure?**

**Pbbbt! I was thinking PEACEFUL.**

Usagi grinned at me and leaned against Mamoru. I laughed and hugged Hotaru, to be rewarded with a look of confusion. I bent down and gave her a quick kiss, then whispered softly into her ear.

"Just Usagi being silly again, Cupcake." I wondered in passing how long it would be before she demanded again that if I thought she was a cupcake, I should eat her. The last time had been a delightful day....

"Like mother, like daughter, huh?" Hotaru teased, pulling me back down for another kiss.

With her snuggled against me, I leaned back and watched as Haruka won in her usual take-no-prisoners style. She'd long since moved into the unlimited class races - a good thing, since the bike she was driving was a MacManus Nagamaki. Eos said it was a test platform for the motorcycle configuration of the Javelin frame. The problem with the Nagamaki was that nobody knew how powerful it was. The only time they'd tried to test it, it had overloaded the testing machine.

We gathered back at Ami and Bill's house, where Belldandy had prepared a victory dinner. By the time we were finished eating, Keiichi was the only one who felt like moving. Then again, he hadn't really eaten - just picked at his food. Usagi took Belldandy into the kitchen, hopefully to learn if there was anything we could do to help. Rusty brought printouts from the lab to show Keiichi. Naturally, Skuld couldn't resist, and before long the two of them were arguing over the pages. Rusty stayed with them until Keiichi was fully involved in the argument, then slipped away to talk with Urd.

Seeing the way the evening was going, I relaxed and cuddled Hotaru. She purred happily and flashed a thought at me that made me decide it was time for us to go home.

* * *

The more time they spent in this world, the more Belldandy worried about Keiichi. He was becoming more depressed as time passed: morose by day and withdrawn by night. The only thing that seemed to bring him out of himself was her love - and even then, it only drew him out enough to cling to her as if he were drowning.

The most worrisome part of the situation was that Keiichi was not by nature an easily depressed person - the shock of their first day here seemed to have done enough damage that he couldn't see the beauty in this world. It was becoming bad enough she was considering going into his mind to try reaching him.

"Oneesama? I'm worried. Keiichi...," Skuld trailed off, looking tearfully up at her. "He doesn't even react when I try to argue with him anymore. And when Urd said something perverted to him, he just looked at her, like he didn't care."

Belldandy set down her spoon and gathered Skuld into her arms. It had been bad enough when she was the only one to worry about Keiichi; it had now gone beyond what she could allow to continue. As Skuld sobbed against her, she gently stroked her hair. Whatever she did, she couldn't stand back and let things continue to get worse.

"Where's Urd? I think it's time the three of us put our heads together." Belldandy asked as Skuld's sobs faded. Between the three of them, they HAD to be able to find a solution to the problem - didn't they?

"She went off with Rusty," Skuld said softly. "They were talking about seeing his laboratory."

"That's right, he's a chemist. I'd forgotten," Belldandy murmured. "We'll have to...oh dear. He IS a chemist, isn't he? I hope he's more responsible than she is."

Skuld looked up with an expression of growing worry that, Belldandy felt, probably matched the one on her own face. As if Keiichi's problem wasn't bad enough, anyone encouraging Urd in her alchemical hobby was like encouraging a salamander to swim in a pool of gasoline.

"David? Can you contact Rusty where he is?" Skuld asked, surprising Belldandy. The idea of computers with souls was strange; but Skuld had taken to them right away, and had made friends with all of them - whether they were fixed, like David, or on someone's wrist, like all the others.

"No problem, Skuld. He and Urd are with Albertus. He's somewhat less than amused, so I'm sure the interruption will be appreciated - by Albertus, at least." David sounded, as always, as if he found amusement in the antics of his human associates.

"Who's Albertus?" Skuld asked; Belldandy remembered an Albertus, but that one had been in Europe, several centuries earlier. As far as she knew, he hadn't found the elixir of immortality he'd been searching for, so it couldn't be him.

"He's Rusty and Fluorite's babysitter," David laughed. "He Awakened just a couple months ago."

"Why did he pick the name Albertus?" Skuld asked. "It's not common in this century."

"Neither are mages or alchemists," David said. "Rusty's profession may be chemistry, but his hobby is alchemy. With the two of them as influences, Albertus picked a name that reflected both arts."

"I see. Would you ask Urd to come back here, please?" Belldandy asked, then added as she remembered the other person who should be a part of the discussion. "Do you know where Mara is, and how to reach her?"

"She and Naru went shopping. Naru insisted that as long as you're here, Mara needed to have a more appropriate wardrobe." David answered. "I have to know...is it a psychological thing, the way your clothes appear when you create your own? No matter what Mara did, every outfit she created before Naru dragged her off looked like a cross between Body Glove, Frederick's, and Stormy Leather."

"Yes, the way our clothes appear does have a lot to do with the way we think," Belldandy said thoughtfully. "No matter how much better she is than the demons of this world, she's still a demon, and that will affect the way she presents herself."

"Half," Skuld said. "She's a half-demon."

"Are you sure?" Belldandy asked, fearing the possibility Skuld was right. She'd suspected it, ever since learning that Urd was half demon, but the consequences of learning it was true had kept her from pursuing her suspicions.

"As sure as I can be without Kami-Sama confirming it," Skuld said softly. "I asked Ami to keep it a secret until I could figure out how to tell them, but...they're not just sisters, they're twins."

"Uh...Belldandy? Skuld?" David sounded unnerved as he cut in. "I...have a phone call for you."

"It's all right, David," Belldandy said. "We'll take it here."

"It is I." The voice was unmistakable; Belldandy and Skuld both automatically stood straighter. "I have scheduled an audience for all four of you in ten minutes. You will find Mara in Naru's apartment."

"Yes, sir," Belldandy said, echoed an instant later by Skuld.

"He's...gone," David said softly. "Was that who I think it was?"

"Yes, it was," Skuld said. "You'd better call Urd before she can leave Rusty's place."

"No need," David said, his voice still shaking. "She's in the lab. Having her travel through my monitor is almost as unsettling as that phone call."

"I'm sure it is," Belldandy said. "Skuld, will you explain to Urd while I get Mara?"

"I will. You'd better hurry, Oneesama." Skuld looked up with a weak smile and pushed Belldandy toward the kitchen mirror. "We don't want to be late."

"I'll meet you there," Belldandy said, reaching out to touch the mirror. "David, please tell Keiichi I'll be back as soon as possible."

* * *

When I got to Ami and Bill's place, David opened the door before I had a chance to ring the bell. That's happened before, so I didn't think much of it - until I realized I'd gotten all the way inside without a word from him.

"Hey, David! What's on your mind?" It was a long-running joke between us. I'd ask him what was on his mind, and he'd answer by listing anywhere from a half-dozen to three or four dozen things, most of which made no sense to me.

"Keiichi. Something about him just isn't right, and now I'm going to have to explain to him when he wakes up that Belldandy had to go to Heaven." Well, that didn't sound good, although it sounded better than 'Belldandy is dead'.

"Uh...when did it happen? And how?"

"They just left. I'm still trying to figure out how the phone call reached me without going through ANY of the telephone networks." David sounded miffed. I was confused. Telephone call?

"Telephone call? What are you talking about? And you haven't told me how Belldandy died."

"Died? Belldandy didn't die; she just went to Heaven. So did Urd and Skuld and Mara. Kami-Sama called. On the telephone. Do you know how unsettling it is to process a telephone call from HIM?"

"Went to Heaven...oh." I'd forgotten she's a Goddess. Well, at least that meant she should be coming back soon. "Wait a minute...you got a telephone call...from Kami-Sama?"

"Well, they did, but naturally it came through me." That explained why he sounded shaken, at least. I'd be unsteady, too, after a phone call like that. "They only had ten minutes to get to Heaven, so Belldandy asked me to tell Keiichi. He's up in their bedroom...not sleeping."

"Want me to tell him? It ought to cheer him up some, right?" I know I'D be cheered up if I knew Kami-Sama was taking a personal interest in my problems.

"Would you? It'd really be better if it came from a friendly face, not just a friendly voice." David sounded hopefully relieved - so much I couldn't help smiling as I agreed.

 

"Keiichi-san? Are you awake?" I stood outside the bedroom door and called out, loud enough to carry all the way downstairs. "Belldandy gave me a message for you."

I heard movement, and a moment later the door slid open. Keiichi looked like hell. His eyes were red and unfocussed, his hair was all spiked up, and he stood leaning against the doorframe like a puppet with its strings cut. He didn't say anything; he just looked at me - or maybe that's through me - and waited.

"Belldandy had to go to Heaven for a while." I flashed my best smile as I spoke. "Just think! With Kami-Sama taking a personal interest, you should be...Shit! David! Call the others!"

Keiichi had reacted to my news, all right. He'd reacted by emitting an agonized scream and transforming into something that looked like a lobster crossed with a squid. This was definitely not good. I did the only thing I could, under the circumstances: I leapt back across the room, so the stairwell was between us, and transformed.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" I didn't want to hurt him, but if I could bind him until Sailor Moon got here, it would keep the house from getting trashed. As I looped the chain around him, I sent up a silent prayer that I was getting all his appendages.

Keiichi - or, rather, the creature he had become - strained at the chain, while making noises that sounded like something out of a bad monster movie. Whatever he had become, it was strong. Damned strong. I could feel the strain he was putting on the chain, and concentrated all my energy on it in hopes of keeping it from breaking before the others could arrive.

I don't know how long we were there, pulling against each other, but as the contest continued, only the fact that I was braced against the wall around the stairwell kept me from being pulled to the creature. As it was, I could feel my strength fading as the minutes stretched on, between pulling against the chain and feeding energy into it so it wouldn't break.

"Moon Twilight Flash!"

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

As the room brightened, then filled with fog, I felt the pressure on the chain slackening. I hadn't heard Sailor Moon use that healing in years, but it had always worked before. I let the chain disperse and called out to the others.

"Sailor Chibi-Moon, Sailor Saturn, how did you get here so fast?"

"Fast? It took us nearly five minutes after you called," Sailor Chibi-Moon said. "We were-"

"Look out!" Sailor Saturn yelled, moments before the sound of movement came to us through the fog.

I jumped back and rolled, avoiding a wildly lashing tentacle by inches. Sailor Saturn dispelled her fog, and I kind of wished she hadn't. The creature had Sailor Chibi-Moon in three of its tentacles. Maybe it HAD been Keiichi once, but I couldn't hold back because of that. Whatever he had become, we had to knock him down and keep him down until Sailor Moon could get here.

Sailor Saturn brought her glaive down across a tentacle; as soon as it was severed, the separated part dissolved into a foul smell. It seemed to work, so I called up my sword and joined her in amputating tentacles. As soon as Sailor Chibi-Moon was free, she joined us; she wasn't as good with her tiara as Sailor Moon, but she was good enough to give the creature some good solid hits.

**Sailor Moon! We need you here NOW!**

**I'm on my way. We were on the other side of the city when you called. Let me see what's happening.**

**It's Keiichi. Let them all see, Aphrodite.**

The gasps were as audible as if they'd been in the same room; Aphrodite had transmitted the image of Keiichi's transformation into the creature, and now was transmitting our fight as it happened. We should have defeated him by now, but as soon as we chopped off the tentacles, new ones formed. Only the tiara seemed to have any effect, and all it did was stun him.

**I'm almost there. I'll go in through the window behind him. Be ready to hit him hard.**

**We'll be ready.**

If she wanted us to hit him hard, it was up to Sailor Chibi-Moon and me. All Sailor Saturn could do without destroying everything around us was chop at him with her glaive - and that had proven difficult in this confined space. I released my sword and cut loose with a Crescent Beam Shower. That got the creature's attention.

**Sailor Chibi-Moon! You're going to have to use something more powerful than your tiara! We have to trust Sailor Moon to heal him!**

**I know. I don't like it, but I know.**

"Shine Snow Illusion!"

That was our cue. As strong as the creature was, I knew it would break free of the ice in a matter of moments. I nodded to Sailor Chibi-Moon and we cut loose in unison.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

The double attack, striking while the creature was unable to avoid it, blasted it backward, into Belldandy and Keiichi's room. It had barely hit the floor when we heard Sailor Mercury strike again, this time with her Aqua Mirage. She wasn't taking any chances of it getting up again.

"All right. He's down, and we can keep him down until Sailor Moon gets here. I hope."

Uh-oh. If Sailor Mercury wasn't sure we could keep him down, we were in trouble. I led the way into the room and called up my sword again. The creature lay on the floor, encased in ice and apparently unconscious - although it was impossible to be sure, given its appearance. Sailor Mercury was studying it with her visor and computer.

"I was afraid of this," she said softly. "He's possessed. But...how did it get through the wards?"

* * *

Urd always felt nervous when summoned to His throne, and this time was no exception. If anything, she felt more nervous than usual; she was actually scared for Mara. Would she be able to survive the Divine Presence? Maybe...if she were shielded. The only hope she could hold to was that He wouldn't have required Mara's presence if He intended her to die. Urd slipped an arm around Mara and flashed her best smile; even if she wasn't comfortable with the situation, she could at least try to reassure Mara. Mara responded with a grateful smile and a visible attempt to look brave.

"Do you think it'll be all right?" Mara asked, her voice revealing the uncertainty she so obviously tried to conceal.

"You have nothing to fear, daughter."

Daughter? But if she was His daughter...Urd looked from Mara to Him in shock and anger as the connections came together. His daughter...her sister - NOT half sister.

"How could you?" The words came out in a betrayed, outraged scream. How could He condemn her sister to life as a demon? How could He separate them; how could He stand by and let them fight for so long. How could He let them believe they were enemies? There were so many questions, she couldn't even put words to them all.

"Urd!" Belldandy gasped. "She didn't mean it, Lord! Please forgive her!"

"I'm sure she did, Verthandi. I would have been disappointed if she hadn't." He looked down compassionately and paused for a moment. "Yes, I am your Father, Mara. You and Urd are twins. Your separation is now ended. In time, you will understand why it was necessary. For now, you must make a choice. Will you follow the path your mother lives, or will you return to being just another demon?"

"You...are...my Father?" Mara stammered, looking up at Him uncertainly. "But...why? Why did you leave me? Why did you tear us apart? Why did I have to grow up alone...unloved...like a demon?"

Urd caught Mara as she collapsed in wracking sobs. As she cradled Mara against her breast, she glared up at the Lord. The injustice of what had happened made her so angry she couldn't think straight. Only the feeling of Mara sobbing against her kept her from screaming out her rage; her sister needed her.

"You will understand, when you have returned to your home. For now, in the world you find yourselves in, you must remember your heritage. It is that which will give you the strength to do what you must."

"Does that mean you won't send us home?" Skuld asked. "The world we're in is so...wrong."

"The world you're in is at a crux; your presence is necessary to its future existence." He paused, then looked directly at Belldandy. "Verthandi, your husband needs you. It is time for you to return, and help that world through its crisis."

* * *

As soon as I got to the other side, I understood how the demon had gotten through my wards. It had insinuated itself into Keiichi so thoroughly that it was beyond my ability to touch, without killing him in the process. It would take an expert at exorcism - or, hopefully, Sailor Moon - to remove it. It had probably been in him for days. That would explain not only how it had been able to work its way so deeply into him, but also why his despair had only grown as he had remained here.

"This is bad. Very bad." There was no sense in soft-pedaling it. I opened my eyes and looked up at the others from where Sailor Mercury cradled my head in her lap. "The demon is so deeply rooted within him that you're the only one of us who has a chance of freeing him, Sailor Moon."

"But you're not sure, are you?" Sailor Moon asked softly. "Well, we won't know until I try."

She stepped around to the head of the creature, now firmly pinned beneath one of Rei's ofuda, and looked down for a moment as if praying.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

No matter how many times I see her in action, I'm still struck by the beauty of her power. Well, there WAS that one time she used a pizza like a Frisbee when we had a little dust-up in a shopping mall, but that was amusing enough to make up for its makeshift nature. When the light faded, Keiichi looked like himself again. Sailor Mercury studied him through her visor for a moment, then nodded.

"He's clean. You did it, Sailor Moon."

"Thank goodness!" Sailor Moon sank onto the bed and whispered, "What are we going to tell Belldandy?"

"Why not tell me what happened?" Belldandy asked softly. She stood in front of a freestanding mirror in one corner and looked at us with as much worry as I'd seen her first night here.

"Keiichi needs you," Sailor Moon said. "I've healed him, but he's going to need to be in your arms when he wakes. I don't know how much he's going to remember."

"Remember of what?" Belldandy asked, moving to take Keiichi in her arms. He whimpered softly and curled against her.

"He was possessed," Sailor Moon said. "The demon was so deep in him that it took the most powerful healing I could manage to get it out."

Belldandy looked down at Keiichi, drawing him close in a grip that left her hands white with its intensity. After a moment, she raised one hand and deliberately removed her earrings. She placed them in Keiichi's hands, then gently placed him on the bed. I was starting to worry now. If the manga were right, we were in real trouble now.

"Keiichi is my husband, and I will not allow him to be used in this way," she growled, beginning to glow. It was a surprise, hearing that from the woman we had become accustomed to as loving and gentle. Sailor Saturn and I were the first to recover; I suppose that was because we knew the most about Vikings.

When the glow faded, Belldandy was no longer wearing her formal robes. She was covered from head to foot in gleaming chain, with a conical, open-faced spangenhelm on her head. Hanging at her side was a sword, about 3' long with the blade about 2" wide. The look in her eyes was a familiar one - except maybe from her - and if it had been directed at anything other than demons, I'd have felt pity for her prey.

"Wait until he's awake, Belldandy. He needs you. After that...," I let my voice trail off and flashed her my hunting grin. There was no way she was going to go hunting alone - not as long as she was in MY world.

**Lord? Is she overreacting?**

**Perhaps. If she were fighting alone, she would need the power. With you and her sisters at her side, the war will be more equal.**

**And Keiichi's possession was the first strike?**

**It was. Your enemy is both old and new; one that is already defeated, but who you have yet to meet. The others know it as the Death Phantom. We know it as Apep, and the Norns know it as Jörmungandr.**

**The Death Phantom is Apep? But that would mean Sailor Moon didn't destroy it after all.**

**That is correct. When they defeated it, they destroyed its avatar and banished it once again to the Outer Darkness. But the Apep they defeated was from the future, and so was weakened by its extension through time. You face it now in its own time, but it does not have the memory of having been defeated. Thus, it will not anticipate the power you can bring to bear against it.**

**Why did it choose now to attack?**

**One can never tell with a being as chaotic as that one, but it is safe to assume that the arrival of four strange goddesses, in the place where one of its mortal enemies is, caused it to have a sense of urgency in its actions.**

**In that case, we should take advantage of its imbalance.**

**You understand. When you plan your actions, you should remember that your available warriors are not limited to the Senshi and the Norns. Trust your friends; give them the opportunity to join in the fight.**

**But the danger....**

**Is less than the danger should their absence from your plans allow the enemy to win.**

**Yes, Lord.**

My attention returned to the others, as Skuld, Urd, and Mara arrived from downstairs. Seeing Belldandy in armor, Urd and Skuld immediately shifted from their formal garb to matching armor; Mara shifted into a molded black leather breastplate that - like every other outfit she created - left less to the imagination than nudity would have, but looked solid enough to pass.

"David, call Rusty, Fluorite, and Naru. Tell them we're having a meeting in thirty minutes, and need them to attend. Umino can come along, too, if he wants."

The others looked at me with open shock in their eyes. I shrugged and turned my attention on Sailor Moon.

"We'll need their help. Even with the Goddesses, the enemy we're up against cannot be killed. All we can do is banish it - and it's going to take every bit of power we can muster to do it." I cocked an eyebrow and added, as if it were an afterthought, "The enemy we're facing is known to my people as Apep, to the Goddesses as Jörmungandr, and to you as the Death Phantom."

"But we killed it!" Sailor Moon protested. "How could we be facing it again?"

"We killed the Death Phantom from MY time," Sailor Chibi-Moon said. "In this time, it shouldn't even know you exist yet. But why would it be attacking now? And why through Keiichi?"

"Jörmungandr?" Skuld gasped, looking up at Urd and Belldandy for reassurance. I couldn't blame her: Thor was supposedly the only one who had a chance of killing it, and according to the tales, he would die when he did.

Luckily for me, it just didn't seem that tough. Merely impossible to keep dead once it's killed. After all, Bast kills it every morning, yet it manages to pull itself together in time to be a menace to Ra every night. And Serenity and Chibi-Usa had already managed to kill its avatar once, and banish it from the Earth of the future, so it was obvious it wasn't invulnerable - merely damned tough.

"I don't care if it's Surtur himself," Belldandy hissed. "When it laid its hand on Keiichi, it forfeited its life." She looked at the others, then at me. The look in her eyes reminded me of Diana Kinsman, from my KITA stories: very scary, very dangerous, death to anyone who threatens her family. "Thirty minutes. We will be there. Keiichi should be awake by then."

"If you think he's up to it when he wakes, I wouldn't mind his presence," I said. "My Lord told me that the situation we're in is dangerous enough that we shouldn't overlook ANYONE who might be able to help. They'll actually be in less danger fighting with us than they would be if we don't win because we didn't let them fight."

"But we defeated it before...," Sailor Moon protested uncertainly.

"At the cost of your life and Chibi-Usa's life," I said, looking her in the eye. "And that was when it was already weakened by reaching a thousand years into its past to fight you. This time, we're fighting it in its own time - and I, for one, do not intend to sacrifice our Queen and Crown Princess to banish it. This time, we need to plan, we need to combine our forces to use every advantage we can get, and we need to call on every ally we can find to augment our strength."

"He's right," Tuxedo Kamen said gently, slipping an arm around Sailor Moon's shoulders. "We're facing a much more dangerous enemy now. The only advantage in this situation that I can think of is that - assuming I understand the situation right - it doesn't yet realize what we can do, because it's never faced us before."

"And it doesn't know that we're with you," Skuld said. She spun and pointed at Urd and Mara. "Mara, if you know anything about it from things you've overheard or been taught, we're going to need to know it. Urd, we're going to need your battle experience when we're planning. Belldandy...we'll need you to tell us when the time is right to strike."

"What's this, Bug?" Urd asked with a grin as she reached out to give Skuld a quick hug. "Trying to live up to your job title now?"

"Yeah," Skuld said, blushing. "I wish we had Sif or Tyr...or even Thor...with us to do the fighting, but I'm not going to let that stop us." She grinned, an unsettling feral gleam in her eyes. "By the time we're done, that serpent's going to know Thor isn't the only one in Asgard who can hurt it."

**She looks like you do when you're planning to take on a particularly aggravating demon.**

**She does? No wonder people look nervous when I'm hunting.**

The others all returned to their normal appearances, leaving only the Goddesses and Mara in armor. Well, and me, but that's only because I wear pretty much only MacManusite clothing now. Usagi placed her hand on Belldandy's for a moment, just long enough to get a faint smile from her, before leading us all downstairs.

 


	3. Aa! Megami-Senshi!

Arriving at the top of the stairs to see the Senshi in their battle garb, and then Belldandy in her armor, had been unsettling. Whatever the cause, when Urd and Skuld joined the ranks of the battle-ready, Mara knew she couldn't hold back. If what Kami-Sama (her  _father_?) had said was right, the only choice she COULD make was to join her sisters.

Now Skuld wanted her to give up any information she could on Jörmungandr - information she wasn't sure she possessed. The Serpent was one of those things nobody ever discussed; it was as pointless as discussing a mountain. You simply noted its existence and planned to accommodate it - preferably by avoiding it. Hunting it down and attacking it was sheer lunacy, yet that was obviously what the others planned.

"I guess I've lost my mind, too," Mara sighed, then flashed a grin at the others. "Hey, you've got to be insane to think of fighting with Jörmungandr. So count me as insane."

"Insane or not, Belldandy's right," Skuld said. "When it attacked Keiichi, it forfeited its life. The Senshi may assume they can't kill it, but I'm not going to plan for anything less."

"I just wish I could help more," Mara said. "The problem is, Jörmungandr isn't something that was talked about much. Think of it as being the demonic equivalent of a glacier. When it was discussed at all, the topic was how to avoid being anywhere near it when it got angry. Aside from the venom and the jaws powerful enough to bite through an ox as if it were a stalk of celery, there's the sheer size of it. The only time I can remember it throwing a tantrum, it caused earthquakes."

"Important safety tip: don't get under it," Urd said with a grin. "So how do we find it? Go fishing the way Thor did?"

"Proof that Kami-Sama watches over the feeble-minded," Mara grumbled. "Does Thor EVER think with anything but his fists?"

"Yes," Urd replied, with more than a touch of acid sweetness. "Sometimes he thinks with his belly. And sometimes his thought processes are a few inches lower."

Skuld stared in surprise at Urd. Mara chuckled softly; given Urd's history, the idea of her being even slightly less than blatant must be something of a shock. If it helped keep her from getting complacent, it was a good thing. Mara had seen too many elder demons get complacent and get taken down by younger, supposedly weaker, demons. Even if the Gods didn't have to worry about that kind of competition, complacency could make them vulnerable to any enemy - not just underlings.

"Oneesan? Are you feeling ok?"

"Just fine, Bug. I just don't think we have the luxury of waiting for you to finish yelling at me about being a pervert." Urd winked at Mara and added, "By the way...when we're finished here, remind me to see if I can find out what that word means, ok?"

"What that word means?" Skuld asked, confused for a moment. As realization dawned, she turned a beautiful pink and gave what Mara was sure was the only response she could manage in the circumstances. "Biiih!"

 

* * *

 

When Bill named what was to blame for Keiichi's problem, I prayed he was wrong. The Death Phantom had nearly killed us all once, and it had taken the lives of both Usagi and Chibi-Usa to destroy it. At least, until now we'd believed it was destroyed. I called up my computer and studied the energy patterns left by the creature that had possessed Keiichi. Unfortunately, the energy matched that used by the invaders from Nemesis. That meant the Death Phantom had to be involved.

"Ami? What do you think?" Usagi asked, giving me that trusting look I couldn't resist.

"I think we need to call the Ayakashi Sisters." I closed my computer and tucked it away before looking at the others. "They had enough contact with the Death Phantom before you healed them that maybe they'll be able to give us ideas. If they're willing to dredge up those memories, at least."

"I'm sure they will, once they know what's at stake," Usagi said. "As much as they want to be ordinary women..."

"Yeah, as much as a certain princess we once knew wanted to be an ordinary girl," Rei teased, giving Usagi an excuse to start the wail we all knew so well.

When they started a tongue-war, I relaxed. Somehow, no matter how hard it turned out to be, I knew we'd be able to find a way to win. I glanced around the room and noticed the others had relaxed a little - except for Mamoru and Bill, but that wasn't surprising. They're both far too sensitive to women's tears; even Usagi's "Why are you so mean to me?" wail tended to make them tense up. I found myself hoping we would never face an enemy who used women's tears as a weapon.

"I've got Cooan on the phone," David announced. "Anything I should tell her other than 'haul ass over here'?"

"Don't you think you could put it a little more politely than that?" Minako asked. "Politeness is the oil of society."

I wonder sometimes where she comes up with those sayings, but at least this time it made sense. Bill nuzzled the back of my neck and gave me a quick hug before heading for the front door, just a moment before the bell rang. Meanwhile, Minako and David argued about whose definition of politeness should apply, and Makoto brought a tray of daifuku and onigiri from the kitchen.

"We would have been here sooner, but we had a small crisis in the laboratory," Fluorite said, throwing Rusty a look that was somewhere between worried and annoyed. I know that look far too well; I find myself throwing it at Bill often enough when he loses track of time in the lab.

"It wasn't really a crisis," Rusty said. "I just couldn't leave until I was certain the project Urd and I were working on was safely shut down."

That was a scary thought. The only thing I could think of that Rusty and Urd had in common was their mutual interest in alchemy. Given Fluorite's tales of some of the things Malachite - the Earth Kingdom's court alchemist - had done, I was very happy Rusty did his experiments in their apartment, rather than our house.

"What were you working on?" Bill asked. That's just like him: while I'm thinking about what would happen if Rusty blew up their apartment, Bill's mad scientist instincts have him asking what the project was.

"Just an anti-demon weapon. And, no, you don't get to know what it is until I'm ready to test it," Rusty said, grinning shamelessly. "Now, what's the emergency? David sounded really upset."

"We'll talk about it when everyone else is here," Bill said, glancing at Usagi. When she nodded in agreement, he added, "Once we're done talking, maybe you should get back together with Urd and finish that weapon. Fast."

"Fast, huh? It must be pretty serious," Rusty said, then jabbed a finger in Bill's chest and growled, "The weapon is MINE. I'm NOT going to have you shuffling me aside the next time trouble pops up. Got it?"

Wow. I'd known Rusty was frustrated about being left behind when we fight, but I hadn't realized he was that frustrated. The problem was, we were so used to thinking of our friends and family as people to protect, that it was hard to think of them as wanting to - let alone able to - fight with us. The look on his face made it clear he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"I got it," Bill laughed, swiping at Rusty's hand. "But only if you give David your sizes so he can whip up some clothes for you."

"What? You don't like tweed?"

"I like it just fine - when it's made of MacManusite." Bill grinned, then glanced at Setsuna. "Will Sarah be coming?"

"No," Setsuna said. "You know how firmly she believes in her pacifism. She'll come if we need her medical skills, but now we need to plan for fighting."

"I understand," Bill sighed. "I'll never understand it, but I'm sure she doesn't understand my need to fight, either. Oh, well. David, did you get through to Naru?"

"No. I'd guess she started here right after Belldandy got Mara; she's right out front." David sounded almost as smug as Luna. "The sisters are on their way, too."

"We can bring them in on this when they get here," Usagi said, moving to open the door. "Naru! You're just in time! Makoto made some daifuku, and we've got to make sure they get eaten."

"Only you," Naru laughed as she took off her shoes. "Only you would think of your stomach when everyone around you has long faces."

"That's Usagi," Rei grumbled, flashing a quick smile at Naru where Usagi couldn't see. "Always thinking with her stomach. Especially now that she's pregnant."

"That's right, Rei," Usagi said, turning to look at her. "And here's something for you."

Within moments, the two of them were deep in another tongue war. I waved Naru over, and we joined the rest around the table. Makoto poured tea for all of us and we settled in to relax and wait for Usagi, Rei, and the Goddesses to join us.

 

* * *

 

Keiichi turned his head and groaned as he felt his cheek press against some kind of chains. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Belldandy, wearing a shirt made of tiny chain links. She looked down and smiled at him, warming his heart with her love. His vision cleared; enough to tell that she was wearing a helmet, and her eyes were shadowed by...sorrow? Anger? He couldn't tell for sure.

"Bel-chan? What happened?" He asked, reaching up to touch her. As he raised his hand, he noticed there was something in it. When his hand came into his field of view, he saw he was holding her earrings. "Belldandy? Your limiters...what?"

Belldandy touched his lips with her fingers and shook her head slowly. Suddenly, she pulled him to her in a crushing hug, sobbing softly against him. When she released him, she pushed him to arm's length and looked into his eyes with an expression of profound relief. He didn't know what had happened. For that matter, he didn't remember how he'd ended up back in their bedroom, or in her lap.

"We're going to war," Belldandy said. "Jörmungandr tried to get to us through you, and I am not going to allow that."

"Jörmungandr?" Keiichi asked, trying to remember if or where he had heard that name before. "Going to war?"

"Yes. We are going to war against Jörmungandr and its minions." Belldandy paused and hugged him again, then whispered, "It sent a demon to possess you and get inside the wards. Sailor Moon healed you, but...I'm sorry, Keiichi-san. You were possessed for almost a week, and I didn't sense it."

"I love you, Bel-chan," Keiichi murmured. "If you didn't sense it, it must have been very well-hidden." He paused a moment and looked up into her eyes, hoping she could see how much he loved her. "Almost a week? What did it do?"

"It made us believe you were so depressed that you were almost suicidal," Skuld said softly. Keiichi looked in the direction of her voice and started in surprise when he saw she was wearing armor, too. "It wasn't until Kami-Sama called us to an audience that the truth came out."

"Kami-Sama...called you...here?" Keiichi asked, surprised. They weren't even in their own world, yet He had called them?

"He did," Belldandy said. "He called us to tell us we are needed here to help this world deal with a great crisis. It's necessary for us to become warriors again, for a time."

"Then...you're going to need me...somehow." Keiichi knew he couldn't let them fight without helping somehow, but how could he help against something so powerful Belldandy had taken off her limiters to fight it?

"I need you to be safe," Belldandy said gently, looking at him with that pleading expression he couldn't resist. "We're expected downstairs in three minutes, to plan how to attack the enemy."

"Then we should go," Keiichi said, standing unsteadily. "Umm..." He held out the earrings uncertainly.

"Keep them for me?" Belldandy suggested. "You can give them back after we defeat it."

 

* * *

 

Sometimes Luna can be so irritating. I was curled up on Minako's bed, trying to catch up on some sleep, when she came through the window and landed on me like a volleyball.

"Get up, you lazy furball!" she yelled, while I was still trying to peel myself off the ceiling. "They're in trouble and we've got to help them!"

"Whoa! Slow down! Who's in trouble?" Nobody ever claimed I was lightning when I woke up. Normally I like a good stretch and some food to get my brain working in the morning. On the other hand, it was pretty obvious that Luna was upset.

"The Senshi! I don't know what's wrong, but David called and insisted we need to be at Ami's house as fast as we can get there."

"Maybe they've just found a way to send the Goddesses home." I knew I had to try to inject some sanity into this situation; Luna was jumpy enough to have me looking around for rocking chairs. "You know they wouldn't want to leave without saying good-bye to us."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." Right on schedule, she put on her 'I knew it all along' expression. What is it about that cat that makes it impossible for her to gracefully admit defeat? And what is it about her that makes her so irresistible?

"Well, now that you have, why don't we head over there?"

I hopped off the bed and put on my human appearance. No sense in walking when we could take human transportation. Luna gave an impatient sniff before taking her human appearance, and we went to catch a cab.

  
  


David opened the front door as we approached Ami's house; when we got inside, all of the Senshi were gathered in the living room, along with Mamoru, Bill, Rusty, Fluorite, Naru, Keiichi, and Mara and the Goddesses - all four of them in armor. Luna and I looked at each other worriedly; I suspected she was wondering the same thing I was - what could inspire the Goddesses and Mara to wear armor?

Usagi and Minako descended on us with glad cries; I don't know about Luna, but I was certainly content to let Minako carry me across the room. When we reached the table, I noticed it had been covered with a touch-sensitive display panel, and Ami, Skuld, and Bill were deep in a discussion of placing remote sensors around the city.

The display panel showed a map of Tokyo, with colored dots scattered across it. Green dots clustered around familiar locations: the house, the shrine, the university, Usagi's favorite shopping mall, Rusty and Fluorite's apartment, Naru's apartment, Michiru's house, and the racing park we'd visited the day before to see Haruka take another championship. Besides the clusters I could recognize immediately, there were dots in other locations, including the others' apartments and other locations which popped up identifying tags when I touched them: the hospital where Ami's mother worked, the property where the Palace would be built, the abandoned temple where the Goddesses had arrived in this world, and other spots that mostly had only one or two dots.

Besides the green dots, there were red dots in a few locations: forming a circle around this house, at the shopping mall, and a few other locations that I didn't recognize. When I touched one of the individual red dots, it popped up a tag that said three tengu had manifested in that location two days earlier.

"What's going on?" I asked, since Luna seemed content to say nothing. Probably afraid to admit she didn't know.

"We're plotting where each of us have been since the Goddesses arrived," Ami said, "and comparing it to reported demon manifestations during the same time."

"There have been a lot more than usual this week, haven't there?" I'd have had to be as blind as a kitten to not notice that, so the question was mostly rhetorical.

"Yes, there have," Ami said. "Our hope is that by plotting the demon manifestations, we can determine where the Death Phantom's avatar makes its lair."

"Death Phantom?" Luna shrieked, adding a pain in my ears to the pain between them that mention of that creature had brought. "But it's not supposed to attack Earth for another thousand years!"

"No, it's not supposed to make the attack that allows us to destroy Wiseman for another thousand years," Usagi said. "This is the first time it attacks us, from its perspective. So, while it may be impossible to destroy it, we have to try. At least we can hurt it enough to banish it for a thousand years."

"Why do you think the Death Phantom is here?" I asked. It seemed far-fetched to me, but if they were planning on that basis, then it would be nice to know why.

"One of its minions possessed Keiichi," Belldandy growled. The idea of HER growling was even scarier than an angry Usagi. "We are going to make it pay."

"My Lord told me what it is," Bill said. That tone was familiar: the only question in his mind was how he was going to kill it. "It's going to take all of us to defeat it, but we WILL defeat it."

OK, it wasn't much of a plan, but we could work on that later. There was no question every one of them agreed, so we had to work out first how to find the enemy, and then how to combine their powers to have the most effect. I looked over the display panel for a moment, thinking.

"David, are you running this panel?" I asked.

"That's right, Artemis. What do you need?"

"Draw lines between the demon dots and let's see if they make a pattern."

David drew the lines, and the map looked messier than it had before. I couldn't make anything out of the chaos, so I looked up at the others in hopes they could see a pattern.

"David, remove the dots and lines that go with any manifestations related to us," Ami said, opening her computer with a grim look in her eyes. When David complied, what was left was a five-pointed star, centered on site we were preparing for the Palace, with demon manifestations at all ten points, both inside and outside.

"Why does the Death Phantom have a fixation with those points?" Rei grumbled. "Those are the same points Rubeus tried to control."

"You mean you don't know?" Mara asked, looking surprised. "Those points are so magically active, that whoever controls them can control the magic in the entire city."

"So a small force could conquer Tokyo, simply by taking control of those points?" Ami said distractedly, while typing on her computer. "I wonder what kind of magic they contain."

"The same kind that's in your Silver Crystal, or Mamoru's Golden Crystal, or that item...an ankh, isn't it?...Bill keeps locked upstairs," Belldandy said. "But it can be corrupted by a sufficiently powerful - or knowledgeable - evil force. Anyone here could do it, if we were evil, but I doubt the demons of the past week are either powerful or knowledgeable enough."

"That would explain why they tried so hard to control the points before," Usagi said. "That also explains why we're going to have to control them. Do you think maybe this is happening because the construction crews have disturbed something at the Palace site?"

"Well, that is the focus, so it's possible," Ami said. "We'll have to study it directly before I can be sure. Bill, I think it's time you started wearing your ankh, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think you're right," Bill said. "Do you want me to go with you, or someone else?"

"Skuld," Ami said. "Would you come with me? I think if you link your goggles to my computer, we can get a lot more data than either of us could alone."

"Yes," Skuld said, pulling out a pair of goggles that was strange enough to make anything Bill created look positively mundane by comparison. "We should have a backup team, though, in case anything happens while we're there. Mara, Rei, Hotaru? Would the three of you be our backup?"

The three Skuld named quickly agreed, and once they'd transformed, all five departed. Bill pointed at Urd and Rusty with a wicked grin.

"You two need to get back to work. If you've got a weapon in the works, the sooner you get it finished, the better. Anything you need from us?"

Urd looked thoughtful (yeah, I know, hard to imagine, huh?) for a moment, then shook her head. Rusty, on the other hand, nodded, while grinning right back at Bill.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Can you get me one of those backpack Super-Soakers, or make one out of MacManusite?"

"Uh...if you're putting something alchemical in it, you better believe I'm making it out of MacManusite," Bill laughed. "Want anything else? Pressure boost? Autofire? Cutting jet?"

"Cutting jet?" Rusty asked.

"Yeah. It's an old design a mechanical engineer I knew a few years back doodled on a napkin once. Take out the standard nozzle and replace it with a polished diamond nozzle with the opening only a few microns in diameter. The stream comes out at a high enough pressure to slice through most materials like a chainsaw."

I could imagine what he was describing far too easily. Something like that could make plain water carve up a target as easily as Sailor Venus' Crescent Beam.

"That's a nice idea, but not very practical if you want the option of taking your target alive. I think a standard nozzle should be good enough for now. But if you happen to make one of those others for later use, I wouldn't object." Rusty's grin made it clear he was understating his interest by a lot. "If you could give it an electric pump, so I don't have to pump it up by hand, that'd help a lot."

"No problem. It'll be ready by tomorrow. Keiichi, you want to give me a hand with that?" Bill gave Keiichi a smile that, while it wasn't as radiant as one of Usagi's, was still warm and inviting.

"Uh...sure," Keiichi said, looking to Belldandy for reassurance. When she smiled and nodded, he rose to his feet and looked toward the lab. It was nice to see he wasn't scared of Bill any more. I guess that had been the demon's fault, too.

"Well, we should check out the other points, don't you think?" Usagi asked the room in general. "Luna, Artemis, if you two stay here, you can keep watch over all of us through David, right?"

Luna gave me one of her inscrutable looks; sometimes I wonder just what that cat is thinking - other times she makes me glad to be alive. I had the feeling this wasn't going to be one of those times, though.

"Assuming someone doesn't fall asleep on the job, we'll be watching over you," Luna said. No doubt about it - she was in one of THOSE moods. The best thing to do was just pretend I didn't hear her unless it directly bore on our job.

"All right," Usagi simply pretended she hadn't noticed Luna's tone as she started distributing people. "Haruka, Michiru, would you two take this point here? It's close enough to the Imperial Palace that I want our most powerful team in case anything happens. Mamoru and I will take this point, so we can back you up if you need it. Or you can back us up. Chibi-Usa, would you and Setsuna take this point? That leaves this one for Makoto and Minako. We'll all back each other up, and when a team is certain their point is clear, Artemis and Luna will give the next point to clear. Belldandy, Fluorite, I'd like you to fly cover for all of us, if you would? Naru, do you feel confident with your memories of demon magic?"

"Not really, but I'll do what I can when you call," Naru said. Where do you want me?"

"Stay here, I think. That way David can direct you to where we need you the most if we do. OK, does anyone have any questions before we go?"

It still surprises me when Usagi does that; I think it surprised the others, too. Nobody questioned her, not even Belldandy, and as soon as they'd transformed, they were gone.

"You know, her transformation from Usagi to Serenity is a whole lot more impressive than her transformation to Sailor Moon," Rusty said with a grin. "She's going to surprise the hell out of a lot of people over the years, unless she decides to keep outsiders from knowing that Usagi and Serenity are the same person."

"That's probably a good idea," Bill said. "I've noticed there are already people who think Sailor Moon is somehow divine. Imagine how they're going to think of Serenity in a thousand years. Not my idea of fun."

I had a good idea of what he meant. Even in the Silver Millenium, there was a cult that had worshiped Queen Serenity - and it had annoyed the hell out of her. But how do you make people stop worshiping you? All she had been able to do was exactly what Rusty was suggesting: create an identity that nobody associated with Queen Serenity, and retreat to that identity whenever she wasn't called upon to be Queen.

David cleared the old dots from the display panel and began displaying the positions of the Senshi as they moved toward their targets. Luna and I settled in to coordinate their actions as those still in the house moved off on their errands.

 

* * *

 

The construction site was a mess. Tools and equipment were scattered as if the workers had dropped them in the midst of panicked flight. The ground had been excavated at least 100 feet deep; even in the middle of the afternoon it was dark at the bottom. Skuld could feel the evil radiating from the shadow, strong enough that she didn't need her goggles to identify it. It was definitely Jörmungandr.

Sailor Mercury activated her visor and started working with her computer. Skuld looked at her, amazed at how calm she appeared. She was just a mortal, but she looked less bothered by their surroundings than Skuld felt. Gritting her teeth, Skuld brought out her goggles and began studying the pit.

"Do you see the streams of energy pouring into the hole?" Sailor Mercury asked. "It looks to me like they're coming from the points."

"I see them," Skuld said. "They don't look as if they've been corrupted, so it must be just feeding on the energy. If we can cut off the energy, we can weaken it."

"And to cut off the energy, we'll need to control the points," Sailor Mercury said. "Now, what Rubeus did makes sense. They must have thought that capturing the points in our time would prevent us from ever using them to build Crystal Tokyo."

Skuld nodded. Her goggles had transmitted all the available data about the energy to Sailor Mercury's computer, so she adjusted them to try seeing into the darkness. If there was an avatar, there should be some sign of it. If not...well, she didn't want to think of that possibility, but she couldn't find any signs of anything living in the pit.

She raised her attention to the surrounding territory, and noticed they were no longer alone. There were men dressed in heavy denim coveralls, like she'd seen before around construction sites. These men, however, didn't look like they were interested in building anything.

"We have company," Skuld said, pocketing her goggles and bringing her hammer to a ready position. "Where are the others?"

"Mara's above us, Sailor Mars is on that crane over there, and Sailor Saturn is on the construction office trailer." Sailor Mercury nodded to two different sides of the construction site.

When Skuld looked, she saw Sailor Mars crouched atop the cab of a crane that had been used for hauling dirt out of the pit. Sailor Saturn was standing on the roof of a trailer on the other side of the property, with her glaive braced on the roof beside her left foot. From their positions, they could strike either side of the approaching mob. Between the five of them, Skuld was pretty sure they could handle what looked like maybe two dozen construction workers.

 

* * *

 

**Try to not hurt them, ok? They're not responsible.**

**I know. Sailor Moon?**

**We're on our way. If you can herd them without hurting them until we get there, we should be able to heal them.**

I wasn't sure I would be much use if that was what she wanted. I can kill and I can heal, but herding people - especially those who are demon-possessed - isn't something I'm good at. I wished Chibi-Usa were there, but she was investigating one of the points of the star; I had to trust that she would be ok, and that what she was doing would make a difference in our situation.

Sailor Mars opened with Snake Fire, sending it across their path to keep them away from the pit. It made sense: if she could feel the evil emanating from that pit as strongly as I could, the last thing we wanted was for those men to reach it. Sailor Mercury backed up Mars with a spray of freezing bubbles, inspiring me to add a little fog of my own.

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

Mercury's bubbles may be good at obscuring vision, but the fog they produce compares to my fog the way a mountain breeze compares to a typhoon. I could hear them running into things, including each other, and knew the only chance they'd have of getting out of it was blind luck.

**Sailor Mercury, do you know how many there are?**

**I counted eighteen. Both of you stay where you are. Mara's going to try sleep bombing them.**

At that, Mara dropped from her position until she was only about ten meters up, and tossed several crackling blue spheres of energy into the fog. I heard a lot less moving around after that; when I let my fog down, there were only four of them still moving. Skuld moved in with her hammer, and shortly none of them were moving. I suspected they'd be very unhappy when they woke. Then again, Sailor Moon would probably heal the lumps on their heads along with everything else when she got here.

I was about to leap off the trailer I'd chosen as a perch when I noticed something strange: the machinery around the pit was moving.

**Sailor Mars! Jump!**

As she leapt from the crane, its boom swung, bringing the bucket around like a flail. Sailor Mars wasn't in any position to stop it, and Sailor Mercury didn't have any attack that could do the job, so it was up to me.

"Death Ribbons!"

The ribbons, so much like those I remembered from when I had destroyed the Moon Kingdom, flew out and reduced the crane's bucket and cable to dust. Fluorite was certain to be happily surprised when he learned I'd finally managed to use the spell properly. Releasing the power is easy; limiting it as much as the Death Ribbon spell required had always been a problem for me.

As if the destruction of the crane's bucket were a signal, every other vehicle on the site came to life and began moving toward us.

**Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, we've got to get between the vehicles and the men. Sailor Mercury, send Skuld up with Mara and have them do what they can to funnel the vehicles toward us.**

Mercury and Mars leapt to join me in the space between the unconscious men and the pit. Skuld floated into the sky and began using her hammer to disable and upend any vehicles that attempted to get past us around the trailer. Mara fired into the vehicles that attempted to get around the other side of the unconscious crowd.

A truck charged me, its grill blossoming into a ring of jagged metal as it attempted to either impale me or run me down. I was in terrible physical condition for so long, I don't waste my time trying to fight with an enemy. I just brought my glaive down on its hood and gave it a shot of Death Ribbons.

While the truck was being reduced to dust, I glanced toward the others. Sailor Mercury had a bulldozer frozen solid in a block of ice, and Sailor Mars was using her Burning Mandala on a backhoe. Above us, Skuld and Mara were doing a better job of covering our flanks than I'd hoped when I'd sent them up there. Either the enemy was running out of weapons, or those two were remembering they were supposed to be Viking Goddesses. Or maybe both; I only had to destroy two more vehicles before the enemy was reduced to launching tools at us. Small missiles are almost impossible to destroy, so I just threw up a Silence Wall and let them bounce off it.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

The sound of Sailor Moon's arrival was a major relief. If she could get the construction workers healed and out of there, we could cut loose on the enemy without worrying about innocent bystanders. I heard people starting to move behind us, moments before both Sailor Mars and myself were knocked to our knees by a wave of pure concentrated evil pouring out of the pit. The enemy apparently didn't like what Sailor Moon had done.

When my vision cleared, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen were standing around Sailor Mars and myself. Skuld and Mara were firing blasts of energy into the pit, but they weren't doing anything to stop the spreading sense of evil. At best, they were slowing it some.

**Something's coming through. We need reinforcements.**

**Are you sure?**

**She's sure. I'm afraid capturing the points will have to wait. I don't know what's coming through, but if we let it loose, it will make everything else moot.**

**OK, everyone, you heard Sailor Saturn. Finish whatever you're fighting and get to the construction site as fast as you can. David, we need everyone out here.**

**I heard that. I'm leaving Keiichi to finish this. I'll bring the others with me. Albertus, don't say anything about this to Urd or Rusty - not until Sailor Moon or I tell you it's ok.**

**I understand, Dad. You want them to finish this project.**

**Right. See you all in a bit.**

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune arrived as Sailor Mars and I were getting back to our feet. Their timing couldn't have been better: the pit chose that moment to erupt, spewing demons of all descriptions.

 

* * *

 

From 100 meters up, it was easy to follow the locations of the Senshi, so Belldandy concentrated on trying to predict when and where the enemy's attack would come. Teaming with someone who used death magic was a strange experience, but Fluorite was powerful in his specialty. She hoped they wouldn't have to use it, but was certain her hope wouldn't be fulfilled.

**Oneesama! Sailor Moon wants everyone at the construction site! It's bad.**

**We're on our way, Skuld. Be careful.**

**I will. Hurry. It feels like it's going to explode.**

"Fluorite-san! Sailor Moon wants us at the construction site!"

Fluorite nodded and changed his path to follow the route Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen had taken just a few minutes earlier. In the air, they could travel faster than the Senshi did on the ground; they arrived over the construction site as the pit in the center was spewing forth a horde of demons.

The demons weren't very powerful; but even a tiger can be taken apart by ants, if there are enough of them. And there were definitely enough demons to threaten anyone on the ground. A moment later, there were enough demons to threaten anyone in the air, too. Fluorite hissed and conjured up a sword made of the spirits of the dead. Skuld and Mara floated back-to-back, blasting any demon that came close enough they could be certain of hitting it.

Belldandy raised her hands to destroy the demons, then paused.

_Better to keep my full power hidden until the decisive moment. There are other ways to deal with this problem._

"Spirits of the living, lend me your strength!  
Let all that lives join me!  
Cleanse this place of that which offends this world!"

Belldandy felt the energy flowing toward her from all directions; from every living thing on the planet, all the way down to the spirits of the rocks that made up its bones. Even the sun's energy flowed to her, adding to the power of the light forming between her outstretched hands.

**Skuld, get everyone away from here. Have them make their stand between the buildings around this place.**

**Will you be alright, Oneesama?**

**I will, but if I don't use this energy soon, I'll have to throw it into space to keep it from turning Tokyo into a crater.**

Skuld and Mara broke off and, gathering Fluorite in their wake, dove toward Sailor Moon. Belldandy could feel the anger coming from Sailor Uranus, countered by the firmness and love of Sailor Moon and Sailor Neptune. Sailor Uranus was so much like Tyr...single-minded in battle, and unwilling to surrender so much as a millimeter of ground to the enemy. Thankfully, Sailor Moon trusted Belldandy, enough to order them all to fall back.

The ball of energy was still growing, already dense enough to ionize the air around her. Belldandy silently urged the others to greater speed. The energy was already great enough she'd have to detonate it in the ground to minimize the damage to anything outside the construction site - and that could trigger an earthquake.

Below her, Belldandy saw that the others were having trouble getting clear as quickly as she'd like. Sailor Saturn had erected a wall of energy that kept the demons from getting past it in her area, allowing a number of mortals to flee in safety. The others, however, had to fight as they retreated - not only for themselves, but to also to keep any demons that got around the ends of Sailor Saturn's wall from getting to the mortals. Belldandy's frustration grew as time seemed to stretch into infinity. She knew objectively that the others were moving as fast as they could, but it seemed to take forever.

**OK, Belldandy. We're clear.**

**Thank you, Sailor Moon.**

With a loud sigh of relief, Belldandy hurled the ball of energy into the pit, using her will to hold it together until it had struck the bottom. The explosion was powerful enough to triple the size of the hole and destroy everything between ground zero and the buildings surrounding the construction site. The blast went far enough into the air that Belldandy could sense an airliner being rocked by the turbulence it produced.

Belldandy floated to the ground near Sailor Moon and looked out on the devastation, noting the shattered windows and weakened structures all around the crater that had once been a construction site. She didn't feel the enemy as strongly now, but she could tell it was still there.

"Well, I guess we won't have to worry about excavating," Sailor Moon said softly. "But we'll have to pay for the damaged properties. Was anyone hurt?"

"Only the demons," Belldandy said softly. "I don't know how many escaped, but I'm certain some must have. There weren't enough of you to block all the streets."

"I know. As soon as the others get here, we're going to have to start hunting them."

 

* * *

 

Now I know what Hell must be like: an eternity in a Toyota mini-van with four bickering sisters. Well, make that three. Once the fight started, Beruche simply withdrew into herself and looked out the window at the passing scenery. Not that Tokyo's all that scenic, but it was better than the scenery inside the van. I wondered how Bill could stand driving with all that noise in the back, until he turned his head and I noticed he was wearing earplugs.

I was a worried. If the situation was bad enough to need all of our talents, how much danger would they be in? They didn't have the power they were supposed to have had when they had come to our time, since that had come from the Death Phantom; I wondered if they'd learned any magic to compensate, or if we were simply endangering them unnecessarily.

By the time we were halfway there, the bickering had gotten loud enough to bring tears to Beruche's eyes, and even Bill couldn't ignore it anymore. So he started singing, of all things. Well, it seemed to work, since the sisters shut up and stared at him with looks of confusion on their faces. They understood English better than I did, but I don't think 'ponn farr' is an English word. I was able to figure out that the song had something to do with a starship crew that had been banned from someplace called Argo, but beyond that, I was lost. If they were as confused as I was, despite knowing English, the song must have been stranger than I thought.

We were less than a dozen blocks from the construction site when the entire sky in that direction lit up a brilliant blue-white. A moment later, a wall of wind hit us hard enough to spiderweb the windshield. Bill slowed for a moment, then picked up speed, then slowed again as he was forced to thread through the stalled and wrecked vehicles blocking the street.

"Beruche? Would you mind dousing that truck over there?" Bill asked as we came up on a burning wreck. It was blocking enough of the street that going around it would have been risking the van.

"I'll try," Beruche said uncertainly. She raised her hands and pointed at the burning truck, gritting her teeth as she concentrated.

"Is no try. Is only do. Or do not." Bill said, using a strange accent I'd never heard before.

"I can't," Beruche whispered, dropping her hands and looking tearfully at the floor.

"Well then, we're screwed," Bill said cheerfully. "You're the only one with the power to put out that fire, and if we can't get past that truck, we can't help fight the Death Phantom. And if we can't help fight the Death Phantom, there's a good chance it will win, destroy all of us, and that's the end of it."

"No," Beruche whispered, while the other three stared at Bill with shocked expressions. "It can't win. Not now. Not when we have a home we love, and friends we love...."

Beruche's voice was rising; it sounded to me as if she was verging on the hysterical. Bill simply sat silently, apparently waiting.

"I won't let it!" Beruche screamed, raising her hands to point at the truck. "DARK WATER!"

A crescent moon blazed on her forehead, and a liquid battering ram sprang from her outstretched hands, popped the windshield completely out of the van, and hammered the burning wreck. Not only did it douse the fire, the impact was powerful enough to push the truck aside, into the front of a building.

"See? I knew you could do it," Bill said, throwing a smile at Beruche as he put the van back into gear and continued toward our destination.

  
  


"Sheesh. Who turned Goku loose?" Bill asked as we came to a stop behind Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen. "Not that I'd object to having him around right about now, but...at least we don't have to worry about excavation any more."

We got out, with Cooan, Petz, and Calaveras clustered around Beruche, who looked as if she was still recovering from the shock of having actually used a power she'd thought was lost. As much as I felt for them, I was kind of glad they weren't bickering anymore.

"You got here awfully fast," Tuxedo Kamen said. "How did you manage that?"

"There weren't many police along our route, and those that were, were busy dealing with wrecks. But I wouldn't be surprised if the SDF showed up soon."

"I wouldn't complain if they did," Sailor Moon said. "We need all the help we can get, to seal off this neighborhood and to hunt any demons that escaped Belldandy. Naru, can you tell how many might have escaped?"

"That will take a few minutes," I said, stalling while I tried to remember if there was any magic I knew that could do what she wanted. I was pretty sure it could be done, but I wasn't certain of the technique. I'd just have to try it and hope my memory would give me what I needed.

"That's ok," Sailor Moon said. "I have the others hunting on foot, but that could take days - and still not get them all."

I settled on simply sensing any demonic energy in the area. It was rough, but it should work. At least, that was what I thought until I tried it. The energy from the pit was so overwhelming, it made it impossible for me to tell if there were any other demons in the area. Mara caught me as my knees buckled and held me until I could get myself together again.

"Opening yourself like that is pretty dangerous," she whispered. "Getting a nasty headache is the least you can expect."

"So I noticed," I said. "Thank you. I wish my memory were better. At least my memory of magic."

"It'll come back to you, I think. It came back to her, didn't it?" Mara nodded toward Sailor Moon.

Mara had a point. I was just going to have to improvise and hope it worked out for me as well as it had for Usagi. I gave her a quick hug and steadied myself on my feet, then searched my new memories for the proper way to find the damned things.

 

* * *

 

Keiichi looked up with a resigned groan when Urd stuck her head through David's monitor. He'd been running checks on the components of the water gun he and Bill had designed, so at least he hadn't been at the keyboard - but Urd's method of travel was still one of life's little frustrations. She somehow managed, more often than not, to use whatever TV or computer screen he was in front of.

"You got that ready?" Urd asked with that grin Keiichi only saw when she was deep in the midst of one of her outrageous schemes.

"I have to put it together and test it," Keiichi said. "I take it you're ready for it?"

"That's right! Rusty's putting the finishing touches on the ammunition right now." Urd sounded her usual maniacal self, leaving Keiichi wondering if Rusty realized just how dangerous her alchemy could be.

"All right," Keiichi said as he started piecing the weapon together. "Just have a seat and I'll have this together in a couple minutes."

"Say, wasn't Bill supposed to be working with you?" Urd asked, looking around curiously. The way she was poking at things made Keiichi very happy the only active controls were in front of him.

"He was, but Sailor Moon called everyone to the construction site. They left just a few minutes ago." Keiichi was quietly relieved by that. He was still uncomfortable around Bill, despite the obvious love he had for all of the Senshi. It wasn't as bad as the others seemed to have been afraid of, but it was still hard to be comfortable with someone who could kill someone he loved.

"Everyone? Why didn't anyone call us?" Urd grumbled. She was good at that, in Keiichi's opinion. Then again, she had lots of practice, given how often she was in trouble.

"Believe it or not, they WANT you and Rusty in the lab. If there's even a chance you'll create a weapon powerful enough to help against this enemy, they want it." Keiichi gestured at the parts in front of him as he spoke, not letting Urd distract him from assembling the water gun. "They left me behind because I'm not a fighter and because even with Bill fighting, they need this thing finished."

The look on Urd's face was amusing. Given how they usually reacted to the news she was in her lab, the idea that they WANTED her in a lab had to be a shock. Keiichi gave her a quick smile; as irritating as she could be, she was both his sister-in-law and his friend.

"They really think I'll be more help in the lab than fighting with them?" Urd asked, her voice making Keiichi almost feel sorry for her. She obviously couldn't decide whether that was a compliment to her alchemy or a complaint about her fighting.

"Well, you know how it is...there's so many there, they're probably all tripping over each other. Of course they think you'll be more help in the lab. You're our only alchemist. Well, there's Rusty, but I don't know how much of an alchemist he is - and I'm sure Belldandy and Skuld don't, either. So we're counting on you. And since I'm the only engineer here who doesn't fight, I've got to stay here in this lab to make sure any weapons you might need are available." Keiichi held up the completed water gun. "Here you go. It uses a hyperspatial energy tap to power the pump, so you don't have to worry about it going dead. Instead of pumping the water, we designed it to pressurize the tanks. All three tanks hold about ten liters each, and this switch on the wand tells the system which tank to draw from. I'm assuming Rusty plans to use it, so be sure to warn him that he's going to have as much pressure as a fire hose. Maybe more, depending on what he sets the pump for."

As Urd was looking over the pump with a calculating gleam in her eyes, Keiichi picked up a net bag and began filling it with spare tanks.

"Bill thought Rusty would want a way to refill quickly, so we made a total of twelve tanks for it. All he has to do is push and twist to change them."

"Thanks, Keiichi." Urd grinned and took the bag. After all the time they'd been under the same roof, he still couldn't be sure if that grin was intended to be scary, or if she just couldn't help it. "It looks like we're going to have to make a lot more than we'd thought. I LIKE that."

Definitely scary - no matter how he explained it. But the others believed it was necessary, so when Urd stepped back into David's monitor with the water gun and spare tanks, he went into the living room to see what the cats were up to.

 

* * *

 

Hunting demons is not my idea of a good time. I'd rather be shopping, or designing a new outfit. Or teasing Mother and Father with hints of things I might know that they don't. It all works out; Father teases me about being sneaky, underhanded, and manipulative, and Mother trusts me a lot more than she ever did before.

The explosion Belldandy had created - Father insisted on calling it a Spirit Bomb - had eliminated all the demons that were still in the area of the construction site, but it had also formed a crater nearly 300 feet deep, and destroyed the buildings all around the crater. Father and the Inners were searching through the rubble for survivors, with the help of Belldandy, Skuld, Mara, and Fluorite. The rest of us were tracking demons. Unfortunately, they were far too easy to track. These were high on viciousness and low on intelligence, so they left a trail of destroyed lives behind them.

The first real trouble we ran into was with the police. Every police force has them, from Queen Serenity I's day down to the present: the kind of people who believe that wearing a uniform makes them somehow superior to the rest of the human race, and therefore able to use and abuse the civilians around them with impunity.

**Princess, before I do what I'm inclined to do, what do you want us to do when the police interfere?**

Sailor Saturn was definitely angry, but remembering her responsibilities enough to ask Serenity what she wanted done before doing it was a good sign.

**Don't let them stop you, but don't kill them, either. Show us what's going on?**

The policeman Sailor Saturn was facing was a familiar face. He was part of a group of officers who ran a protection operation. I'd suspected he was involved in more, but had never been interested enough to come up with evidence that the authorities couldn't ignore. Now, he had his gun aimed at Sailor Saturn, and was ordering her to drop her glaive.

**Princess, I know this cop. I suggest you allow Sailor Saturn to cripple him. Maybe it'll get him off the streets long enough for a court to ground him permanently.**

**Oh. He's one of those? In that case, don't kill him, but use your judgement.**

The image from Sailor Saturn vanished. I wasn't worried; of all of us, she was the least in danger from a gun she could see. And despite her continued insecurity about her physical condition, she was at least as good a fighter as Mother - and was much better when using her glaive. I refocused my attention on the route I had chosen. I hadn't told any of the others, but my primary reason for choosing this route hadn't been because of how tempting it would have been to the demons - and it had been far too tempting - but rather because it was the route the SDF was most likely to follow when moving to investigate the explosion. I was certain the size of the explosion had taken it out of police jurisdiction and placed it into the military's purview.

I was just finishing off a demon that had clawed its way through a 7-11 when I was surprised by the sounds of gunfire behind me. When I spun to look, I saw a demon, vanishing into mist, and four soldiers watching it with disbelieving expressions. Further down the street, maybe half a kilometer away, was a larger contingent of the SDF. It bothered me that I hadn't heard these four drive up, but not as much as I'd have been bothered if they hadn't been there to take care of that demon. I gave a quick look around the front of the store; the demon hadn't left anyone living, so there was no point in any delay.

"It's good to know these are vulnerable to bullets. What can you tell me about your commander's attitude, Corporal?" The soldiers seemed surprised by my attitude; probably too used to civilians being nervous around them.

"Uh...."

This was one of those times the distraction value of our uniforms was an annoyance, rather than a help. I pointed at the only one of the four who wasn't acting like Saeba Ryo and repeated my question.

"Uh...you're civilian, ma'am. I don't know what he'll do."

Well, he was honest, at least. I'm sure the thought he might actually have to use any special training had never crossed his mind. I knew the SDF had formed a special division after Beryl's attacks on Tokyo, but it was obvious from this soldier's reaction that none of them had expected to ever USE their training.

"We'll just wait here for him, then," I said, turning to watch the approaching vehicles. As they approached, I heard bursts of gunfire every few seconds. I could only hope they were successful in their encounters. Every demon they killed was one I didn't have to.

The soldiers and I held our position while the rest approached; when they reached us, all except one HMV stopped about thirty meters away. That one vehicle didn't stop until it reached our position. When I saw the commander, I couldn't help feeling at least a little relieved. A colonel had enough rank to be able to take action, but not so much that he was above taking orders.

"Report!" the colonel barked, jumping out of the vehicle. The soldiers with me all snapped to attention and saluted.

"Colonel Matsudaira, sir!" the corporal said. "We encountered and destroyed one oni. Sailor Pluto requested that we wait here for you, sir!"

I leaned on my key, the way Father leans on his staff when he uses one, and gave the colonel one of those smiles that always gets Mother and Father laughing. Knowing that the colonel came from an old samurai family had me wondering whether he would be more or less responsive: would he recognize the situation was over his head, or would he retreat to classic Japanese attitudes because I'm a woman? The practical response appeared more likely, but I had to be prepared in case the other path was taken.

"Sailor Pluto," the colonel said, turning to look at me. "Does that mean all of you are involved in this?"

"Yes. We're all involved. This is big enough that we need your backup - and Princess Serenity needs to talk with the Emperor."

That got his attention. Unfortunately, it was true. The Emperor was going to have to rally the people of Japan behind us in order to ensure our victory. If he didn't, the Death Phantom would be able to use the local spirits to augment its power.

"When Sailor Pluto shows up, all Hell is about to break loose," Colonel Matsudaira muttered. I honestly did smile at that. If that's what they teach the soldiers in their special training, it would make my job easier.

"I'm afraid it's already breaking loose, Colonel. That's why we need your help. The oni you've already destroyed are only the beginning. They're weak, but they come in the millions. As long as your men have enough ammunition, you can kill them. The more powerful ones, and their leader, are our responsibility."

"And welcome to it!" the colonel said. "Those are bad enough. What can you tell me about the situation ahead?"

"We've driven back the enemy for the moment. The oni are just those that managed to escape the explosion. If you have a command post with a decent computer in one of those vehicles, the Demon Hunter can give you the locations of our people."

"How do you define decent? Our computers are standard issue NEC."

"As long as it has a GPS input, it's good enough. Dead scream." The demon that had leapt from a nearby apartment building dissolved when my blast hit it.

"Fall out! I want a squad to clear each building as we come to it. Don't wait for one of those things to attack. Kill them on sight."

I could see how this man had risen through the ranks. His ability to switch from discussion to tactical command in a heartbeat was something that every army needed, but far too few officers had, especially during periods of apparent peace.

"I have to ask...why is it you don't yell when you attack, the way the others do?" Curious, too. Or, at least, concerned about the capabilities of his allies. That gave him another point in my estimation.

"I don't normally have to. The last time I did was when the Koreans attempted to invade a few centuries back."

"That...was...you?" The colonel's look of amazement was at odds with his otherwise competent appearance. "Divine wind, indeed..."

"Trust me, I'm no more divine than you are. I'm simply one of Princess Serenity's warriors. Shall we proceed to where she is?"

The colonel ordered all but his headquarters company to spread out and hunt demons; I took a seat in his vehicle and warned Sailor Moon of our approach. As planned, when we arrived at the point where the street ended in the pit, Serenity and Endymion were waiting.

 

* * *

 

Pieces of rubble glowed red and vanished as Mara tunneled toward where she'd sensed something living. According to Skuld, there were too many people mixed in the rubble of the buildings to risk vaporizing all of it at once. Those they'd found so far were already too badly injured to risk dropping them again. Serenity, Chibi-Usa, and Endymion had long since shed their combat uniforms in favor of their royal forms, and were healing the injured as fast as they could be brought into the open air. Mara hadn't realized that Endymion had a crystal of his own, just as powerful as Serenity's - but now he was using it almost nonstop, just as Serenity and Usagi were.

**Be careful, Mara. You're in an unstable spot.**

**I noticed, Skuld. Just tell me when I'm-**

The rubble around Mara shifted and closed in on her, requiring her full attention. She could easily escape, but if she did, the trapped human would die - and that would make Belldandy and the others sad. It was kind of strange, worrying about what Belldandy felt, but it was nice, too. She even partially understood why Belldandy was so worried. If it hadn't been for her spirit bomb (Bill's name for it was amusing, but appropriate), these buildings would still be standing. But Belldandy was so worried about that, that Mara could see she wasn't thinking about what would have happened if she hadn't bombed the excavation: she wasn't thinking about how much larger and more dangerous the horde of demons would have been.

Mara was just gathering her energy to disintegrate the rubble above her when she felt the pressure against her back ease.

"Get a move on, will you? I'm not sure how long I can hold this." Bill's voice from behind her was a shock. She'd thought he was working in the next building over. A glance behind her revealed that he was standing in the last relatively open spot she'd passed through, using his staff as a prybar to lift the piece of concrete that had trapped her just enough to allow her to wriggle free.

"What's wrong? Too heavy?" Mara shot back with a smile, placing a hand against the offending concrete and disintegrating it. Her smile vanished in horror as the rubble that had been supported by that slab fell, hiding everything around her in a cloud of cement dust. Suddenly, the sense of one nearby trapped human was replaced by two - and the second was her friend.

As the rubble settled, the sounds of fluent profanity coming from Bill's direction reassured Mara that he was in better condition than her original target, so she redirected her attention back toward her original path.

**Will you be alright?**

**Yeah. Makoto's coming to dig me out. You just get that civilian, ok?**

**OK. If you're sure.**

**I'm sure, dammit. You can let me spank you later, if you really think you must. Just get that civilian!**

Mara could feel the pain in his thoughts, yet he wasn't reacting the way humans normally did to that much pain; it was almost as if he was accustomed to it. That, by itself, was an uncomfortable thing to contemplate. She decided the best thing to do was rescue the human, and if Bill was still stuck when she'd done that, she could return to rescue him.

 

* * *

 

Important safety tip: never expect Mara to think ahead. She's as bad at it as Urd. It must be the demon blood. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. All I could do was wait for Makoto to get to me. At least I wasn't leaking any blood. Well, not much, anyway. Crushing injuries are good for pinching off bleeding. Even the pain wasn't so bad. Then again, I couldn't feel anything below my hips, so I really didn't have much of a basis for comparison.

**How much more does she have to dig through?**

**532 centimeters. Make that 497. At the moment, she's moving through small pieces of rubble. When she gets to the larger items, she's going to be slowed dramatically.**

**Why not suggest a few blasts? It might speed things up...and I'm not thinking clearly enough to focus on her.**

**Already done. Just relax and let her take care of it.**

It was hard to argue with Edgar's logic. I couldn't really do anything where I was, so stressing over it would just increase my chances of needing Fluorite's help when Makoto finally got to me. That would be annoying. I closed my eyes and tried to relax - not that it was all that easy in the position I was in. Lying head-down at a thirty-degree angle on a bed of randomly sized chunks of broken concrete is not conducive to relaxation.

  
  


"That was the most stupid, thoughtless, unforgivably careless..."

Just fucking great. Mara was beating herself up. I tuned her out for a minute while checking my situation. No broken concrete pressing against my back...check. Lying on a level surface...check. Sensation in my legs...check. No pain...check.

"If you're quite through beating yourself up, Mara, would you give me a hand sitting up?" I opened my eyes and sighed at the guilty expression on her face. "Look, dammit, it was my fault for not remembering that you have as much foresight as your sister. And for not wearing something more like a hard shell. MacManusite fabric may be good armor against knives, bullets, and energy blasts, but it's still just fabric. And fabric doesn't do all that well against who knows how many tons of broken concrete."

"But I should have realized-"

"Dammit, Mara, did you get the civilian?" I wasn't going to let her beat herself up. I have too damned much experience with that to think it's good for anyone - demon, goddess, or human.

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing. You did what you went in there for."

"He's right, Mara," Usagi said. "Now pipe down before you get Ami's attention, ok? If she finds out he got himself hurt, she's going to be very upset. We don't want that, do we?"

"Uh...no," Mara whispered. She glanced around, a worried expression replacing the guilt. "No, I don't want Ami unhappy."

I took her hands and pulled myself up. Once I was on my feet, I dusted myself off and gave her a quick hug.

"Hey, come on. You saved the civilian, Makoto and Usagi saved me, so everything's all right, right?" When she looked as if she wasn't sure it really WAS all right, I added, with a laugh, "If you're REALLY worried about goofing up, I can always give you a spanking. I've never spanked a Goddess before."

Usagi giggled as Mara's face went from embarrassed to disbelieving to shocked and back to embarrassed again in a matter of moments. I had a hard time restraining my own laughter at the sight. An embarrassed look on Mara is so utterly out of character - out of her old character, at least - that it's especially amusing to see.

"You wouldn't dare!" Mara sputtered, looking at me as if she wasn't sure if I dared or not. I guess no matter how close we get, there'll always be that little problem of my being a demon hunter to make her hesitate.

"You'll just have to find out, won't you? AFTER we rescue anyone who's still alive. So let's get back to work, eh?"

I couldn't help laughing at the look that crossed her face then. Obviously, she hadn't expected me to bounce back so quickly. I guess she hadn't yet realized that Usagi's crystal is just as powerful as Serenity's.

Usagi left us at that point and went running toward where someone had dug out another civilian. Mara gave me one of those looks I'm always getting from Ami and Setsuna - the look that's somewhere half-way between worried and amused, although in her case, I'm sure it was suspicious, rather than amused.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're one strange human?"

"Frequently. Did you rescue my staff, or is it still down in the rubble somewhere?" Good. That distracted her. I could always make another staff, but while she was trying to remember if anyone had retrieved the staff, she wouldn't be thinking about me.

**Edgar? What do Ami and Skuld say about survivors?**

**Endymion is healing the last of them right now. All that's left in the rubble are dead bodies. Good thing, too. Setsuna's bringing some of the SDF.**

**I didn't miss them? Good. How long WAS I out?**

**Twenty-four minutes, thirty-two point eight seconds. Long enough for Ami and Skuld to locate and identify every survivor, and the others to excavate them.**

**Must not have been very many survivors.**

**There weren't. There weren't many casualties, either, though. Apparently the occupants all found ways to be elsewhere when things started getting violent.**

**Good.**

"We'll let the soldiers take care of recovering bodies, Mara. Edgar says all the survivors have been recovered."

"Good. Now we can hunt the other demons, right?" Mara's the first person I've ever met who's more hostile to demons than I am. I guess it's because they're so different than she is - so much more evil.

"We should wait for the soldiers. Don't want them to shoot at the wrong people."

"Like they could hurt me?" Mara grinned. "Let's go see how much trouble they got into without us."

 

* * *

 

After one final scan of the rubble, Skuld tucked her goggles away. There were no more survivors, and the rubble was as stable as it was going to be until it was hauled away.

She flew over the pit to join Belldandy, who was talking with Serenity and Endymion. It was hard to believe Serenity was the same woman as that flaky, irresponsible, undisciplined menace to eardrums, buffets, and tissue supplies known as Usagi. The discussion ended as Skuld was landing, and Belldandy turned to smile at her.

"There will be soldiers here shortly," Belldandy said, "and we need to let the King and Queen deal with them on their terms. Now would be a good time for the three of us to hunt in the areas Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto haven't reached."

"What about the balance?" Skuld had been worrying at that question since the demon horde had appeared. In their world, a horde of minor demons would require the existence of a matching horde of gods - yet she had not detected any evidence that these demons had counterparts, or that they had a similar connection, if there were counterparts.

"I don't think the balance works the same way here," Belldandy said. "I think our friends are the primary agents for balancing evil in this world."

"And they do it by killing," Mara said, announcing her arrival. "These demons aren't like ours, we already know that. I don't see any problem killing them."

"Then we're going to have to get busy," Skuld said. "I estimate that there may be as many as 100 that escaped destruction. Even if they made themselves obvious, the Senshi couldn't have reached more than half of them."

"We should ask Naru and Fluorite to help," Mara said. "They know this world's demons better than any of us."

"Why not Bill? Hunting demons is what he does," Skuld said.

"I almost killed him once already today," Mara said. "I'm not going to risk a second time."

"Oh," Skuld said. "You know he'll be angry."

"Better angry than dead."

"Mara, I think you're worrying too much," Belldandy said. "I do agree he should remain here, though. He's the only one of them who speaks military. The King and Queen will need that."

  
  


Naru and Fluorite were with four women Skuld didn't immediately recognize, all of whom had a little over a third as much magical power as the Senshi. It was the hairstyle one of the dark-haired ones wore that reminded her of who they must be. The friendly way Naru and Fluorite were talking with them was something of a surprise, until she remembered that those four were supposed to have been freed of Jörmungandr's influence by Sailor Moon.

"Mara!" Naru cried happily, running to embrace her. Mara blushed, obviously still not used to being the recipient of honest affection, and returned Naru's embrace. "You've got to meet the sisters! This is Beruche, and this is Cooan, and this is Calaveras, and this is Petz. They used to be minions of the Death Phantom, but that was a long time ago. Now they're our friends. Girls, this is my best friend Mara, and this is her little sister Belldandy, and this is her other little sister Skuld. Urd isn't here right now, but that's ok. You'll meet her later. They're Goddesses."

The four women were obviously not happy about being reminded of their past, but offered weak smiles of welcome. The surprise in their expressions when Naru added the last gave Skuld a brief start of worry, until Mara stepped in.

"Don't worry. We're not like Jörmungandr, or any of his kind." Mara's smile wasn't as reassuring as one of Belldandy's, but then again, Urd's never were, either. "You see, Skuld is the Goddess of the Future, and Belldandy is the Goddess of the Present. I am...well, I guess you could say I'm the junior Goddess of Death."

"Junior?" Beruche asked, with an uncertain look on her face.

"Yes, junior," Mara laughed. Skuld thought it was nice to hear that laugh, and know that it was honestly warm, rather than an indication Mara was plotting. "Kind of the same way that Chibi-Usa is the junior Sailor Moon. My mother is, as far as I know, still doing her job."

"Your mother...who is she?" Beruche asked.

"Hel," Mara said simply. The looks of confusion on the others' faces revealed their lack of recognition. Mara smiled and waved dismissively. "That's not important right now. What IS important is that we have demons to hunt. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are hunting already, but there's no way they can get all of them without help. Skuld says there's too many."

"That's right," Skuld said. "With just the four of them, they'll miss a lot of places the demons could be. Since they've started hunting in that direction, we're going to start opposite them, and hopefully meet up with them half-way."

The others followed Skuld's gestures as she indicated directions, and nodded. Belldandy looked at the sisters thoughtfully for a moment, as they spoke quietly among themselves.

"We'd like to help," Petz said. "If those demons belong to the Death Phantom, then we have a personal stake in this."

"The best way you can help," Belldandy said, "is to stay near the King and Queen. You may not be as powerful as they are, but they'll need all the help they can get, if it tries another attack while we're away from here."

Petz scowled at Belldandy's words, then sighed and nodded when Beruche whispered into her ear. Skuld relaxed; Petz had been the most hot-tempered of the four in the anime, and it would have been a problem if she'd decided to argue now.

"Naru, Fluorite, we could really use your help," Skuld said. "You have the most experience with demons other than Bill, and he needs to stay with the King and Queen."

The two mages looked at each other and nodded, while the sisters looked around, then started working their way around the pit toward Serenity and Endymion.

"What's your plan?" Naru asked.

Skuld produced a sheet of paper and draped it across the nearest reasonably level bit of rubble. With a marker, she sketched out the major features of the area around them, indicating the directions the Outer Senshi had gone. Then she added arrows around the other sides, talking as she sketched.

"Sailor Saturn dispersed the others over here, like this, but you can see that left all this over here untouched," Skuld said. "The nearest Crystal Point is here, and I suspect that's where the largest number of demons is likely to have gone. I know you want to take them, Mara, but I think Belldandy would be better for that. Will you take this direction, Oneesama?"

"Of course, Skuld," Belldandy said, nodding.

"I'd like Fluorite over here, and Naru over here," Skuld said, indicating either side of the direction Belldandy would be travelling. "Then Mara can be over here, so she can help if Naru runs into trouble, and I'll take this side, in case Fluorite needs help."

Naru and Fluorite nodded, and Mara smiled gratefully at Skuld. It was obvious that being able to help Naru if she needed it was very important to her; that was why Skuld had distributed them that way. When Belldandy looked up from Skuld's sketch and nodded, she rolled it up and tucked it away.

"Let's go, then," Belldandy said and rose into the air, followed quickly by Skuld and Mara.

Skuld felt the flare of magical power as Naru and Fluorite vanished, to reappear in the areas they were going to be searching. There was no doubt Mara had given Naru back something precious; even if she hadn't found more within herself than the demonic nature she'd grown up with, that alone was enough to forgive her many things.

 

* * *

 

Hunting demons is not my idea of fun. In fact, by the time I'd followed the trail of dead and destroyed bodies to the first one, I was so angry that I had to call Serenity, just to give myself a focus for self-control, when a police officer - who Sailor Pluto recognized as more corrupt than usual - accosted me.

When he demanded that I lower my weapon, I was more than happy to comply. Of course, the Silence Wall was against the muzzle of his gun, so when he pulled the trigger, it blew up in his hand. I don't know if his partner was particularly stupid, or if he fired out of surprise. I don't think it's going to matter when he tries to explain how the bullets that killed the first cop came from his gun. I didn't feel any obligation to help him out - he had been shooting at me. It was the ricochets off the Silence Wall that had killed his partner.

**Sailor Saturn, when the three of you have cleared your current searches, I want you to coordinate with Sailor Venus. The Goddesses are taking the rest of the search.**

**I understand. Are you expecting trouble?**

**Only if the Death Phantom awakens before you can get back here.**

**We'll be there as soon as possible.**

**Thanks, Hotaru. I knew we could count on you.**

That's when three demons tried to jump me at once. Despite my low opinion of the police officer, I had to extend my Silence Wall to cover him. Then I had time to deal with the demons. Death Ribbons took care of the first one, but the others split up when they hit the Wall. Apparently they weren't quite as mindless as I'd expected. They seemed to realize that the Death Ribbons couldn't take out both of them at once if they weren't close together, and they both moved toward people who had either been too slow to get away or were too stunned to realize they should flee.

The police officer partially redeemed himself then. He started shooting at one of them, and apparently hit it at least once, given the noises it made. I took advantage of that to destroy the other one. When I turned back to finish off the other one, I saw that he definitely had hit it: one of its arms hung down as if it was broken, and it was dragging two of its six legs. Unfortunately, it was also far too close to its intended victim for me to use the spell on, so I had to drop the Wall and close with it.

"This way, demon." I swung my glaive and took off one of its good legs. That got its attention. With only three legs, it was slow shifting to face me, but when it did I was facing a nightmare of fangs, tentacles, and clawed arms.

It was still too close to its intended target, so I moved in and brought my glaive up, lopping off a few of its tentacles. That didn't help its disposition any, but now I was certain I had its full attention. The jet of acid it spit my way confirmed that. I don't know what it was, but it melted the pavement behind me faster than Sailor Mars could have.

I dodged the acid and started lopping off pieces. The demon wasn't a very skilled fighter, even with all its appendages, and the few hits it got through my defense were hardly worth noticing. I'm sure Usagi would disagree with that, but she's still as protective of me as she was when we first met. The demon didn't last long - just long enough for its previous target to get far enough away that I felt safe using Death Ribbons.

**Clear your searches as quickly as possible. The Princess wants us to return to the pit and coordinate with Sailor Venus as soon as we can.**

**If we move too quickly, we could miss something.**

**I know. I'm trusting that she knows something we don't.**

**Or she's anticipating. We know the Death Phantom is down there somewhere.**

**That's what I suspect. I'll meet both of you when we return to the others.**

 

I didn't sense any more demons, out to the edge of the city. I realized that could mean that any were hiding, but the risk was worth taking. A stray demon could be dealt with much easier than the Death Phantom. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune arrived at the pit just a few minutes after I did. Urd and Rusty arrived not long after, with Urd grumbling about the lack of working televisions in the area.

 

"We have to assume the worst attacks are going to come from the pit," Sailor Venus said. I nodded, since that was what I'd assumed, too. "So what I want to do is arrange the four of you like this, about fifty feet down. If it's too much for you to contain, fall back to these positions, with us."

I looked across the pit and nodded. There was plenty of room for all of us around the rim, if it came to that. I wasn't sure about the wisdom of including Rusty in our defensive plans, but it was obvious he didn't intend to be left out.

"If it's bad enough for us to fall back, Pluto and I will wall it off long enough for the rest of you to prepare." I knew between the two of us, we could at least delay it, no matter how powerful it was. "Where are you planning to put the sisters and Rusty?"

"I'm putting Rusty with the Prince and Princess. Beruche will be with Sailor Mars, Cooan will be with Sailor Mercury, Calaveras will be with Sailor Jupiter, and Petz will be with me." She seemed awfully pleased with that arrangement, although I couldn't see why.

"That's an interesting arrangement. Why?"

"It's a trick Bill showed me in his lab. I never understood why he insisted I should see it, but it should work here." Sailor Venus grinned and plunged ahead with her explanation. "Have you ever seen what happens when you heat one part of something while chilling another part at the same time?"

"Thermal stress. That's a great idea." As flaky as she is normally, there's no question she can rise to the occasion when it's important enough. And applying a concept like that is sheer brilliance. "Are you sure the sisters are powerful enough to pull it off?"

"I'm not sure any of us are powerful enough, Hotaru," Sailor Venus murmured softly, then took a deep breath and pasted on her maniacal smile. "Well, we know YOU are, but I think we want to keep the planet in one piece, right?"

I could hardly let her efforts go unrewarded; we needed all the morale we could muster. So I gave her the response Usagi usually gave me when I commented on her cooking.

"Biiiih!"

 

* * *

 

Urd rose into the air above the center of the pit until she could see all of Tokyo by simply rotating in place. The sun was approaching the western horizon, and she knew that if demons in this world were anything like those in hers, they'd become more dangerous after dark. Hunting them down one at a time would not do - not if they intended to protect the local mortals.

She raised her hands and extended them before her, smirking inwardly at the gracefulness of her movement.  _Take THAT, Skuld!_  With a thought, she reached out to find the spirits of the city and began her call.

"In the towers, in the streets,  
Spirits of metal, glass, and concrete,  
Hear my words, heed my call,  
Show me the spirits that would destroy all."

_Oww...too many...._

_Mmm...strong...manly...roses...roses?_

Urd opened her eyes and looked up into Endymion's face as he was gently lowering her to the ground. Serenity and Chibi-Usa were watching worriedly - more so as Urd grimaced and clutched her head.  _Dumb, Urd. Really dumb. When the brat said it was a horde, she really meant it._

"Blew yourself up again?" Bill asked with a laugh. She had a passing urge to slap his face, but with - her headache - it was too much effort.

"Go..." No, it wasn't worth the effort. Then he produced a jar of sake out of hyperspace and handed it to her with a secretive smile.

"Pull yourself together, eh?"

Urd drank down the sake and sat up with her usual maniacal grin. Yeah, that hit the spot. Now it was time to tell the others the bad news.

**You're not going to like this. There's at least a couple hundred demons running loose.**

**HOW MANY?**

**Think Mongol Horde. And they're scattering. They seem to be trying to take all the Crystal Points at once.**

**Damn damn DAMN! Oneesama?**

**Hold on, Skuld. No...they're too close to the mortals. The only way to destroy them all at once would be to destroy the city. We're going to have to fight them.**

**With as many as there are, we're going to have to tell Serenity.**

**You take care of that, Urd. Mara, you tell Naru. I'll tell Fluorite. No mercy.**

Urd shook her head at the hostility in Skuld's tone. As much as the Bug bugged her sometimes, she was far too innocent for this. She moved toward where Serenity, Endymion, and Sailor Chibi-Moon were talking with Bill and the military commander.

 

* * *

 

The look on Urd's face when I suited up to join the others at the pit was just a little irritating. It was obvious she was trying not to laugh. Sure, the water gun looked a little ridiculous over my outfit, but I was sure we could work out something a lot less obvious with more time to work. Meanwhile, the others were out there fighting the things that had possessed Keiichi. There was no way I was going to stand by and not get into it.

The first thing Urd did after we arrived at the pit was fly up into the air - then come crashing down into Endymion's arms a few moments later. She recovered pretty quickly after drinking a jar of sake, and joined us where Serenity and Bill were talking with a JSDF colonel.

"Your Majesties, we have a problem." Urd said. This was not good. If Urd thought it was a problem, we were in deep trouble.

"What is it, Urd?" Serenity asked. I'm sure the colonel wasn't happy about the interruption, but it was obvious Serenity recognized how serious it must be, too.

"There's far too many demons for us to destroy ourselves. And they've spread out through the city. You need to secure the Crystal Points, or they'll win."

"I see. How many is far too many?"

"Several hundred. And they're so mixed in with the mortals that any attempt we make to fight them is going to have to be one on one."

Fighting demons one on one was just fine by me. After what they did to Naru and Keiichi, I wanted a piece of them. If they were as surprised by that as my friends, so much the better. I'm not a fighter - not normally - but when someone hurts one of my friends, they're going to find out I'm bearlike in more than just my looks.

"Colonel, how many troops can you order?" Bill asked. "Urd's not noted for underestimating her abilities, so if she says it's that bad, we're going to need every gun we can get."

Serenity was looking toward the pit as he spoke; after a few moments, the Senshi all came leaping up to surround us. I decided I was going to have to get a MacManus watch for myself. Endymion put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a quick smile.

"You're going to stay with us, ok?" Endymion said with that heartwarming smile he's so good at. "According to Albertus, your weapon should be especially effective against the Death Phantom. So if it tries to come out while the others are fighting, or if it sends any more demons out, you should be able to hurt it enough for us to deliver the knock-out punch."

As much as I wanted to be out hunting, I couldn't argue with his logic. I nodded and made sure the pressure was where I wanted it. Since Bill hadn't included a pressure gauge on the thing, I had to guess where the line was between enough pressure to do damage from the impact, and so much pressure the recoil would be a problem. I was already making notes for improvements.

By the time I had the gun set to where I guessed was the best pressure, the soldiers had split up. A large group, including the colonel, remained at the pit. The rest of them were split into smaller groups that accompanied the Senshi. The Sisters - not without some argument - stayed at the pit with us.

"Who are you? And who is your fashion consultant?" The one with the dark hair done up in rabbit ears like Chibi-Usa's asked.

I could only half blame her; I only knew that they were supposed to be sisters, but didn't know anything more about them. I didn't see a problem with my outfit, though. I was wearing dark brown suede swashbuckler's boots, sapphire blue pants, and a hunter green pirate's shirt, all made of MacManusite. That was one of the reasons I wanted to make some modifications to the gun. All those water tanks were out of place on top of my clothes.

"I'm Rusty. Is there a problem?" Ok, so maybe I was a little less than effusive in my response, but her opening salvo wasn't exactly the friendliest I've heard.

"You do know we're likely to be fighting demons, don't you?"

"Oh yeah. I'm counting on it." I must have looked as eager as Bill does when it comes to killing demons; she took a step back and shot me a surprised look. I slapped one of the tanks and laughed. "See these? Alchemically concentrated holy water. That ought to give any demon a headache."

"Holy water?" She sounded as if she had never heard the concept before.

"Yeah. Water that's been blessed by a Goddess." That didn't seem to clear it up, unfortunately. "So what about you? What's your name?"

"My name is Cooan." OK. I knew who they were only because I'd seen them at Bill and Ami's wedding, and once or twice around the shrine, but this was the first time I'd actually met any of them. "I'm not sure you understand just how dangerous this could be."

"I've seen what the demons did to two of my friends. I think I have a vague idea...and I plan to be more dangerous to them."

"You're pretty crazy for a human. You might just manage it."

"You haven't seen crazy yet. Just watch when things start happening."

Cooan shook her head; just as she was opening her mouth to say something, Serenity called us over.

"Please tell me that's MacManusite you're wearing, Rusty." For some reason, Serenity looked as if she wanted to say something more, but was holding herself back.

"Yup. David whipped it up for me while Urd and I were working." I patted the tanks hanging from my belt and added, "Given the kind of demon it is, this ought to really give it a headache. I'm ready to rock."

"I hope so. Something feels wrong - more than what we've already experienced." Serenity looked around with a worried expression on her face.

That wasn't reassuring. And it became less reassuring when Endymion, Chibi-Usa, and Bill all got matching worried expressions. No doubt about it, I've got to get one of those watches. While I was waiting for the four of them to say something, Cooan was talking with her sisters. Sounds of gunfire began coming from all around us, far enough away to make it hard to tell just where or how far away it was.

"Yes, they've run into the first of the demons," Endymion said. "So far, it's all the same kind as what the soldiers ran into on the way here."

"So ka," the woman with the white-blonde hair in a braid said. "We shouldn't expect it to stay that way, though. It's bound to bring in more powerful demons sooner or later."

"I agree, Beruche. The only question is whether the demons already out there include more powerful ones, or if they'll have to get through us to get out."

The colonel chose that moment to join the discussion, bringing with him a couple aides and a mapboard.

"Companies A, B, F, and J are advancing against heavy opposition," the colonel announced as his aides set markers on the map. "Our other forces are, so far, encountering minimal resistance."

"That's good," Serenity said. "I wonder why..." She stared at the map, scratching her head. She was probably wondering the same thing I was - why were the demons concentrating on opposite sides of the city?

"Oh dear," Beruche gasped. "The Emperor!"

We all turned to stare at her. What did the Emperor have to do with any of this? It was Endymion's gasp that broke the spell.

"Damn! She's right!" He traced a line from where we were, through the point where company F was fighting, straight to the Palace. "The demons are trying to draw off your soldiers by showing force on the other side of the city, while sending a group to take the Palace."

"I'll take care of the Emperor," Serenity said. "It's time. Sailor Chibi-Moon, come with me. Endy-chan, you can manage things here, right?"

The look on his face made it pretty obvious that Endymion didn't like the idea, but he didn't have a chance to protest. Serenity took Chibi-Usa's hand and the two of them vanished, moments after Serenity finished speaking.

"Face it," Bill said. "You've got as much chance of stopping them as I have of stopping Ami or Setsuna."

Endymion groaned, then smiled as he nodded. "You're right. Might as well try to stop a tsunami."

"That'd be easier," Bill said. "Even Beruche could do that. Get Sailor Mercury and Sailor Neptune on it, and they could probably send it back where it came from."

Beruche spluttered for a minute, then settled for glaring at Bill as he grinned at her. "You...you...You're shameless!"

"Hmmm...your point?"

His grin apparently was a little too much for her to take. She conjured up a ball of water and threw it at him. I think that's the first time I really realized how much fighting he's been doing. He batted the ball aside with his hand - and still managed to avoid getting wet. That gave me an idea.

"Beruche?" She jumped when I called her name, the way Bill used to when he was still living with his former wife. I waited a moment for her to relax before I said anything more.

"Yes?" She had that same "I want to say something more, but don't dare" look on her face that Serenity had had. I guess Errol Flynn and Lionel Barrymore never made much of an impression in Japan.

"When you do your water thing, do you pull the water from somewhere, or do you conjure it out of nothing?"

"I think it depends on whether there's any water available. When there's open water around, it's a lot easier, so I suppose I just take it from the water that's available. Why?"

"Here. Try this." I grinned and took one of the spare water bottles off my belt. "It's alchemically concentrated holy water. Even if all you do is mix some of this with whatever water you conjure up, it's got to make things more unpleasant for any demons."

"Alchemically concentrated holy water? What do you mean?"

"I had Urd bless some - ok, a lot of - water, so it has the blessing of a Goddess on it. Then I used alchemy to refine it, so that all that's left is the spiritual essence of water, which is where the blessing is. The way I figure, that should make this go through a demon the way acid goes through a bar of soap."

"That's what's in here? I don't know...," Beruche looked at the bottle curiously, then opened the filling cap and sniffed at it. She smiled and looked up. "I can feel it in there. I CAN use it."

"Perfect..." Things were definitely looking up. With two of us using holy water on anything that showed up, it would be having anything but a nice day.

 

* * *

 

Belldandy paused to wipe her sword on a convenient piece of fabric and looked around for the next demon. Skuld had been right. There had definitely been a lot of demons here. Luckily, it had been easy to clear the building before the fighting began. She brought up her sword, just in time for a lunging demon to impale itself on the tip. With a twist of the blade, she killed it, and spun to take the head of another.

**Oneesama? Do you need help?**

**No, I'm doing fine. I think Urd's estimate of how many there are is on the money, though. How are you doing?**

**It's strange. I'm not getting that many here.**

**Maybe I'm near one of the Crystal Points.**

Belldandy reached out with her senses and hissed in surprise. She'd been so busy fighting the demons, she hadn't noticed that she was on top of a Crystal Point, not merely near it. That made matters a little different.

**Oneesama?**

**Sorry, Skuld. I was wrong. I'm not near a Crystal Point. I'm at one. Hurry and get to the one you're aiming for. That's probably where you'll find most of the demons.**

Another wave of demons started attacking then, requiring all of Belldandy's attention. Her sword hummed as she harvested demon heads like rice. With a few strokes, she cleared a space around her - one that would last only until the demons' bodies evaporated, true, but that was long enough for her to scan again and verify there were no humans in the building. The building glowed blue-white, then briefly went transparent. When the light faded, all the demons were gone.

**This point is secure. Do any of you need help?**

**No troubles here. I'm only coming on them one or two at a time.**

**Same here. It's weird.**

**Not if they're going for the Crystal Points. I think the Senshi probably gave them a hard lesson in the value of stealth, so they're keeping their heads low until they get to a Point.**

**Right. That would explain why I have to work to locate them. I'm going to head straight for the nearest Point and pick them off when they show up.**

**Be careful. They may not be as powerful as we are, but their numbers make up for it.**

The building was a small store; one of the few shop buildings that had survived the transformation of the neighborhood into high-rises. Given its condition when she'd arrived, Belldandy was certain the owners were dead. The demons that hadn't been close enough to be destroyed when she cleared it had recoiled to the fringes of her interest. She rose above the building, reaching out to feel the shape of the Point's power.

"You, where life and power entwine,  
Your Queen and King call now to you.  
Awake! Arise!  
Shine forth your light.  
From the past, from the future,  
Into the eternal now,  
Your Mistress and Master have returned."

 

* * *

 

I knew what Mom wanted as soon as she decided we were going to see the Emperor. No matter how much more powerful we are when in our royal mode, the fuku seem to ease the fears of those who see us. So, I changed into Sailor Chibi-Moon and we teleported to the Imperial Palace.

When we arrived, the palace guard immediately rushed to surround us. Mom conferred with Hecate, then pointed at one of the guard.

"Captain, you will escort me to the Emperor. Your men must prepare to give a proper greeting to the demons coming this way. Sailor Chibi-Moon will assist."

**Usagi, you can handle it by yourself, right?**

**The demons will be easy. Slapping down the soldiers without hurting them will be the hard part.**

Mom gave me a quick smile and turned back to the captain, who was still sputtering. "Shall we go now? It wouldn't do to keep the Emperor waiting."

The captain was forced to run to catch up with her; when Mom's in her royal mode, she can walk as fast as most ordinary people jog. While they were vanishing in the direction of the Palace, I looked over what was left behind.

The palace guard was pretty, but didn't look all that useful for anything other than ceremony. Definitely nothing like the guard we kept back home in Crystal Tokyo.

"Do you guys have any guns? I've seen what's coming, and believe me, you do NOT want to let it get within sword's reach. For that matter, do you have radios? You're going to want to call reinforcements."

While they were arguing over that, I jumped to the roof and scanned the direction of the pit. The sounds of gunfire were a lot clearer up there than on the ground, so I was able to focus in on it very quickly.

**How far, Eos?**

**I estimate 2200 meters.**

**Who's with the soldiers?**

**Sailor Mercury**

**Oh, good! Sailor Mercury, what's the situation?**

**For every one we kill, five more show up. I think they're drawing off whatever other groups of demons are in the city.**

**Damn! All right. How many soldiers have you lost?**

**We're down thirty percent. And the ones who are left are more determined to beat these demons before they get to the Emperor.**

**Mom and I are at the palace. Why don't you tell the soldiers to back off, and just keep them moving this way? You can join up with us here, and we can defeat them.**

**You have a plan? Or at least some backup?**

**All I have is the palace guard**

**Oh no you don't, Princess. All you have is us.**

**Juno? What are you doing in this time?**

**Someone suggested we might want to take a vacation in this time. All four of us.**

**Oneesan!**

**You'll have to wait until you go back to the future to ask, imouto. You have more important things to deal with right now, yes?**

**Yes, she was just as mysterious when she sent us back. Now what's going on?**

I pointed toward the sounds of gunfire.

"Demons, huh? How tough are they?" Sailor Ceres asked. As usual, she was taking the lead for them.

"So far, they've been easier to kill than lemures, but that's not going to last. Sailor Mercury is herding a group of them this way, so that we can kill them before they're reinforced by more powerful demons."

"That sounds like a plan. When did you start making plans, Princess?" Sailor Juno teased. I threw a playful punch her way, and she swatted at my hand like Diana does when we're playing. We laughed together; it was so good to have them at my side.

I heard the guards whistling below us. When I looked down, Sailor Vesta and Sailor Pallas were flirting with them.

**Girls...you know it's not nice to tease. Especially when the enemy is only a little over a kilometer away.**

**Yes, Princess.**

**Sorry, Princess.**

**If you really want to play with any of them, wait until after we win this fight.**

The two looked up and giggled, then leapt up to join us. I waved to the guards and called down.

"If you listen, you should be able to hear the gunfire by now. You'd better go get your weapons before they get here. Then get inside with the Emperor. If they get past us, he'll need you."

The guards looked at each other, then back up at us, then ran inside. All of us sighed in relief. Some things are just not meant for ordinary people to fight. Now we could prepare for the demons without having to worry about civilian casualties. There had already been far too many.

The battle reached us far too quickly for my peace of mind, even if that was my plan. Now I just had to hope it would work. I grabbed my spiral heart rod and prepared for the first of them to arrive.

 

* * *

 

Keiichi sat with Artemis and Luna, watching the display over the coffee table. On the table itself was a map of Tokyo, with crimson lights showing where battles with demons were happening, and blue-white lights showing where the Crystal Points were. The most worrisome part of the display, as far as he was concerned, was the Imperial Palace.

"Isn't there anything we can do? I feel so useless!"

"We're doing it," Artemis said. "We have better access to information and communications from here than we did in our old command center, so we're staying right here and making sure everyone out there is in touch and knows where the enemy is."

"David, can you give us satellite images on the wall screen?" Luna asked. "The symbolic information is good, but I want to be able to see what's out there."

The TV lit up with a montage of windows, each showing a different enhanced satellite image. The effect was as if the videos were being shot from the height of the Tokyo Tower, and what they showed was horrible. Soldiers were fighting with demons in the streets, with so much death and destruction around them that it looked like pictures from a war zone.

"How did that happen?" Luna asked with a gasp of surprise. "Artemis! Do you see the Crystal Points?"

"Someone's awakened them," Artemis said. "I think we have a better chance now."

Keiichi shot the two of them a puzzled look, then looked back at the TV. It took a moment of study before he understood. In ten of the images, an enormous silvery crystal that rose out of the ground like a tower occupied the center of the window.

"Those are the Crystal Points? So...they can give their power to Sailor Moon?" Keiichi felt hope rising. "Then the fight should be over soon, right?"

"It won't be over until the Death Phantom shows," Luna said gently. "That's the cause of this, and that's what we'll have to defeat in order to win."

Keiichi sighed and nodded. So much for that hope. Still, he had faith in Sailor Moon. And he knew that with Belldandy on her side, there was no chance of them losing.

"You're right, though," Artemis said. "The Crystal Points can give their power to the Princess - and to the Prince. With the extra power, they should be unbeatable."

"Artemis, Luna, can you tell me what- Never mind. Later." Bill's voice came over the speakers.

"David! What's happening?" Keiichi demanded.

All the windows on the TV screen vanished, replaced by one large image of the Palace construction site. Or, rather, what used to be the construction site. Now it looked like an enormous pit, as if a bomb had gone off in it. And demons - by the thousands - were boiling out of the pit. There were so many of them that Keiichi couldn't see where any of the Senshi were, until he saw the flashes of energy from their attacks. Well, flashes of energy, anyway. It took a few moments to register that the energy looked darker than he'd expected from the Senshi.

"Kami-sama...please let them be ok...."

"David, give us vital signs here at the table," Artemis said.

The display on the table changed from the Tokyo map to lots of little windows, each showing graphs of heart rate, respiration, and brainwaves. Artemis and Luna hovered around the table, studying the graphs intently, while Keiichi watched the battle on the big screen with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach.

 

* * *

 

"Rusty!"

The demons had boiled up out of the pit so fast that we were all surprised. Rusty had gone down under a wave of them right away, and Bill and I both started that way.

The demons piled on Rusty shuddered, then screamed in agony as a spray of water came from beneath them. Rusty stood up, shaking himself like a giant panda that was annoyed by foxes. He bent over, picked up that ridiculous musketeer hat he'd been wearing, knocked the dirt off it, and planted it back on his head.

"All right, you bastards, want to try it again?" he snarled, waving his water gun menacingly. He began hosing down demons with abandon, like a fireman beating down a fire. The demons reacted the same way as a well-soaked fire - they fell back, mostly dissolving before they hit the ground.

Bill had that weird sword of his in hand - the one that looked kind of like a sickle - and was slicing demons like a chef slicing salami. The sisters were quickly remembering their old magical skills, and the demons were paying the price of having awakened them. I sent a silent thought of thanks to my old friends and began introducing the demons to my Smoking Bomber.

"Cooan! Fire at the bottom of that pile of rubble over there!" Bill yelled, pointing at the most unstable of the rubble. "Petz! As soon as she loosens it, blast it! I want it to fall into the hole!"

I saw what he was trying to do. It should take care of the demons still in the pit, but it wouldn't even slow down the Death Phantom. Then again, there wasn't much that would.

"Beruche, you and Calaveras go over there." I pointed to a spot about a third of the way around the pit. "Soak her chain with some of the water Rusty gave you."

I pointed about a third of the way around the pit in the other direction and nodded to Rusty. "You go over there. If you and Beruche catch them in a crossfire, it should take out more than what you're managing now."

Bill had worked his way partially into the pit and was holding his ground. He had one of his many knives in his other hand, and was using it on any demon that got too close for his sword to be useful. I realized his tactic made sense. My Smoking Bomber was powerful enough to vaporize even these demons, but it took a moment to gather the power. My roses aren't nearly as powerful, but even demons have eyes, and I'm as good with my roses as he is with his rifles.

I started hurling roses, and discovered that eyes weren't the only vulnerable place the demons had. Like living beings, a rose through a knee or elbow left that limb unusable, at least long enough for a more powerful follow-up.

Cooan and Petz brought down the rubble, crushing a few hundred demons in the process, and Rusty and Beruche were doing a pretty good job of washing away those that came between them. Calaveras, Bill, and I had to destroy our demons one at a time, but it was starting to look like we'd be able to wipe them out before the sun set. Then we could rely on the soldiers to watch the pit while we rested and prepared for the next attack.

That was when I realized I wasn't hearing gunfire. What had happened to Colonel Matsudaira and his men? I looked toward where they had set up their field headquarters and let out a curse. Some of the demons had managed to get that far, and they were fighting hand-to-hand. The soldiers were losing, too. I immediately went for them. The others had the pit as well in hand as possible, but the soldiers needed help.

I landed near the colonel and blasted the demon he was fighting with. His sword had been more effective than I expected, but hadn't quite been good enough.

"Arigato. What about the pit?" Colonel Matsudaira was already moving toward a demon that was on the verge of disemboweling his aide. "If we lose that, we're all dead."

"No need to worry. My people are beating them back. Don't you have any machine pistols?" I couldn't understand why they weren't using their guns, especially with the number of casualties I saw.

"Useless. The bullets just go right through them like they were made of smoke."

"Damn. All right. As soon as you can gather your men, ask that man over there who looks like Errol Flynn on acid to soak them down with his squirt gun."

The colonel looked dubious, but nodded. I couldn't blame him, but was glad that he didn't debate it in the middle of a fight. I passed the word to Bill, so he could tell Rusty where to go. The soldiers were in too much trouble for me to get him myself.

The demons kept coming at us like Chinese infantry, but with the numbers we'd already cut from their ranks, those that got as far as me were easily dealt with. About the time Rusty made it to the soldiers and started soaking them down, I felt a surge of power like I'd only experienced twice before - once when we'd all gone to the future, and once when the Golden Crystal had awakened.

**Mamochan? Did you feel that?**

**You felt it too, Usako? It feels familiar....**

**Someone's awakened the Crystal Points.**

**All of them? Then we'll be able to...**

**...defeat the Death Phantom.**

I gathered my power for a Smoking Bomber, and this time it was almost as easy as hurling a rose. With little more than a thought, I shifted to my armor and began using the Earth Sword. With this new power, it sliced through the demons as easily as that strange sword of Bill's, allowing me to save my own energy for when the more powerful demons would begin appearing.

The Goddesses were settling onto the rim of the pit as the sun set, all of them in armor and carrying their weapons. Their angry expressions made it clear that any demons that tried to get out with them there would be exterminated as quickly and brutally as any that faced the rest of us. If there had been any doubt that the four of them were Viking Goddesses, there was none now.

Skuld peered into the pit through her goggles and called out, "It looks clear for the moment. I think they may be trying to decide what to do now that Oneesama has locked your power away from them."

"That sounds good to me. Can you tell where they're most likely to come out?"

"The most likely place is right about there." Skuld pointed the pointy end of her hammer into the pit and a laser burned an "X" into a spot near the bottom, where the rubble Cooan and Petz had dropped hadn't quite reached. "You should have enough time to gather the others before they come out."

**We have a few minutes before the pit explodes again. How are the rest of you doing?**

The last to respond were at the Imperial Palace - Sailor Mercury, Sailor Chibi-Moon, Serenity, and Sailor Chibi-Moon's Guardians. I'll admit, the four of them in this time worried me, given how extreme the situation had been when they last came to our time. On the other hand, knowing they were protecting our daughter made me feel better about not being with them. Strategic planning is important, but it can't make up for the instinct to protect those you love.

**Mamochan, we need King Endymion here. Let Venus and Saturn direct the Senshi.**

**I'm on my way. What should I know?**

**We're talking with the Emperor. You'll understand when you get here.**

While I was glad to be needed at her side, I wasn't quite sure I was ready to face Emperor Akihito. Or - perhaps more unnerving - Michiko. If she was anything like Serenity, she would be the more difficult one.

"Go on, your Majesty," Sailor Venus said with one of her maniacal grins as she came to a stop beside me. "We've got it covered here. Right, Sailor Saturn?"

"That's right." Sailor Saturn gave me a smile that had me wondering if she'd been taking lessons from Sailor Pluto. "Remember, he may be Emperor, but he's also a scientist. You two have much in common."

I had to laugh at that. Trust her to cut right to the heart of things.

"All right. You already know what we're doing here, so try to avoid being hurt, ok?" I nodded to them, then let Sailor Pluto take my arm and teleport me to the Imperial Palace.

 

* * *

 

Mara watched the Demon Hunter nervously. What she could sense of her friend within him was buried so deeply beneath his dedication to his duty that it was almost as if she were watching an organic machine. The weapons he was carrying only added to her unease. They were much like those carried by the inhabitants of the Duat, who had always unnerved her with their raw primal essence; an essence that was as pure and strong as a diamond - and just as ordered. Besides the appearance of the weapons, their aura frightened her; their power was of divine origin, and therefore lethal to demons. Having been told she was a Goddess still hadn't sunk into her guts - at least, not deeply enough to overcome her instincts.

The others were gathered around Sailor Venus, Sailor Saturn, and Colonel Matsudaira, planning their response when Jörmungandr would rise from the pit. Mara had to admit admiration for the colonel. Despite his troops' complete inability to effectively fight the demons, he - and they - refused to give up. She decided she'd have to stick close to them. It was his kind of willpower and resistance that humans were supposed to gain from demonic testing, and she wanted to help strengthen it.

The Senshi were looking at her expectantly, and she blushed as she cast her thoughts back to learn why they were waiting for her.

"Oh. Ummm...I'm afraid I can't really tell you much. Jörmungandr is something we always avoided whenever possible. He has a temper like a wounded wolverine and less intelligence than Thor."

"Are you sure? When we fought him before, he seemed pretty cunning." Sailor Venus looked disbelieving as she asked.

"I'm sure. Intelligence and cunning aren't necessarily linked. Some of the most cunning creatures couldn't reason their way out of a grain sack." Mara smiled as she remembered the time she'd tricked Loki with something that simple. He'd been so caught up in trying to find the trick to escape, he hadn't seen that all he had to do was open the door in front of him and walk out. "With Jörmungandr, intelligence isn't needed. He's so big that he can usually get what he wants with brute force. And if he doesn't get it, it's usually because he's destroyed it. What I don't understand is why he wants Midgard."

"To destroy it," the Demon Hunter said. "Apep has always wanted to destroy the world, since the moment it was created. That's why we were created: to fight his children."

"Destruction was the reason the Death Phantom attacked the Earth before," Sailor Mercury said. "It wanted to destroy the world, and we were the only force stopping it, both in this time and in the future."

Destruction was, unfortunately, a motive Mara could easily imagine from Jörmungandr. It was one of the few things he truly understood. And he was just the kind of being to decide that if he couldn't have something, he'd destroy it out of spite.

"What's your plan?" Mara asked.

"Get it," the Demon Hunter said.

"Get it? That's your plan?" Mara sputtered, disbelieving. The Demon Hunter pushed back the brim of his fedora and flashed her a smile that would have been reassuring under other circumstances.

"Just remember; don't cross the beams. That would be bad," Sailor Venus laughed.

"Could you define bad? I'm a little rusty on that," Rusty said.

"Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light," the Demon Hunter lectured, like a professor explaining a natural law.

"OK. That's bad. Important safety tip. Don't cross the beams. Thanks, Egon."

"You're all insane!" Mara exclaimed as Rusty, Sailor Venus, and the Demon Hunter broke into laughter. When Skuld started giggling, she gaped at the youngest Goddess. Not only were the three mortals insane, but it was contagious, too? Or had the stress caused them all to crack?

"Bill makes an OK Egon," Sailor Saturn said, "and Rusty makes a good Venkman, but I have trouble imagining you as one of them, Venus."

"What? You don't think I'm sleazy enough?" Sailor Venus laughed. "Seriously, though, a few proton packs would be nice right now."

"Give me time," the Demon Hunter said. "I'm having a little trouble making it smaller than an artillery piece."

"Don't worry, you will," Sailor Mercury said. "Maybe...is the one in the lab able to fire?"

"Theoretically. Colonel, do any of your men know how to use a recoilless?"

Colonel Matsudaira looked around at his surviving soldiers and nodded.

"I have enough men left to manage one," he said. Mara's respect for him rose: not only did he and his soldiers have the will to fight, he knew his men well enough to answer the question with a simple look at his forces.

"Good. Marller, will you give me a hand? The weapon we want is back at the house." The Demon Hunter tucked his weapons away in his hyperdimensional pocket and offered her an open hand. His intensity was lessened just enough that she could feel her friend in his grip, and she relaxed as he gave her a loving smile just before the pit faded around them.

 

* * *

 

**Why don't you let Mara take you home, sweetheart? That might help her relax a bit.**

**I hope so. I suppose being a Goddess is still far too new to her. We'll be OK, angel. You keep safe, OK?**

**As safe as anyone. Love you.**

**Love you, too.**

I could feel Mara's discomfort at being within weapon's reach of Bill, and from their expressions, I was sure Minako and Hotaru were feeling it, too.

"Good. Marller, will you give me a hand? The weapon we want is back at the house." Bill tucked his weapons away and offered her his hand. She hesitantly took it, then gave him a weak smile in response to the loving smile he gave her, just before they teleported away. I was sure they'd work things out, given enough time.

I took out my computer and activated my visor. We were going to need all the data we could gather if we wanted a hope of winning. The pit was boiling with energy. It looked to me as if we wouldn't have much time before it exploded again, and this time it would be far stronger than any eruption yet.

After I'd been studying the pit for a few moments, data from Skuld's goggles began flowing into my computer, and I was able to start feeding the information to Colonel Matsudaira's command display. Besides pinpointing the most likely spot for an initial breakthrough, Skuld's data combined with mine to show how powerful it was likely to be. We were going to need at least one of the Crystals if we were to have any hope of containing it long enough to stop it entirely.

Minako, Hotaru, and the colonel immediately began discussing how to arrange those of us who were here, and whatever soldiers had survived the earlier attacks, in order to increase our odds.

**Usagi.**

**What is it, Ami?**

**We need you here. I'm afraid you're going to have to give up being Sailor Chibi-Moon, if we're going to have a hope of winning.**

**Give up...?**

**We need Sailor Moon, not Sailor Chibi-Moon. And that means you. Sorry, hon, but it's time to step out of Usagi's shadow and take up the title yourself.**

**Me? But...**

**You're more than ready. And with the Crystal Points awakened, you should have the power to make the transformation.**

**I...do. The power is there...you really think it's necessary?**

**I know it is. We may need the king and queen, too, but if we do, your power will weaken it enough to give them time to get to us.**

**All right. I'll try.**

**Don't make me do Yoda on you.**

**Biiiih!**

That was better. Just like her mother, Chibi-Usa always underestimated herself until she was forced to stretch. Or until she was distracted from her worries so she could react without thinking too much about it.

**Hotaru, do you think there's enough power available for Usagi to go Eternal?**

**Easily. Do you need help encouraging her?**

**I don't think so. I think just knowing that you're with her will take care of that. They'll be here shortly. I don't know how her Guardians fight, but I'm sure they'll be helpful somehow.**

**I hope so. I don't think anyone in this time knows, since we never fought with them, and the four of you only encountered them as enemies. But if they're good enough to qualify as her Guardians in the future, then they're good enough to help.**

**Yes.**

 

As the plan developed, Rusty and Naru were stationed to support the weapon Bill and Mara were supposed to be bringing. The Goddesses would be above the pit, where they could move freely to attack anything that flew. The Sisters and Fluorite would support the soldiers who weren't directly attached to the weapon. The rest of us would join our powers to hit anything that came out with the most powerful attack we could muster. It was far too late for subtlety, and most of us were too drained from fighting to be able to offer any effective attacks individually.

Bill and Mara returned about the time we had finished planning, carrying what looked vaguely like a tripod-mounted pipe, with electronics attached all over the outside. They set it on the back of a truck, where it was elevated enough to shoot over the heads of most everyone. While Bill explained its working to the soldiers Colonel Matsudaira had assigned to it, Mara joined me, with a confused look in her eyes.

"How do you do it? He is so  **confusing**!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed, but I suppose he could be. What did he do this time?"

"He went from cold-blooded killer, to making jokes here, to flirting with me when we went back to the house."

"He flirted with you? Without you having to make the first move? How did you manage that?" I was both surprised and happy. Usually, no matter how attractive he thought a woman was, Bill wouldn't even think about flirting with her. It had taken some hard work to get him pinned down by Mako, Mina, and Rei; only after I'd done that had he really understood that I didn't care if he flirted with them. If he was flirting with Mara, that was a good sign.

"You don't care?" Mara's shocked expression surprised me. I'd thought she had a better idea of how I think than that.

"Mara, hon, not only do I not care, I'm happy. As long as you don't try to steal him from me, everything will be just fine." I gave her a playful smile with that, to soften it just a little. "The fact that he's flirting with you means he's fully accepted you as if you were one of us. Hadn't you noticed that he flirts with Mako and Mina and Rei, too?"

"Well...yes...but that's kind of confusing, too. He's so devoted to you, I don't understand how he can flirt with them."

"That's my doing. I'll tell you about it when we get home, ok? For now, just believe that I like it that way?"

"I never would have figured you for so unconventional." Mara looked surprised, then gave me a hug and whispered, "And what would you do if I flirted with you?"

I gave her a quick and firm kiss, then a warm smile. The look in her eyes told me she understood.

"Are you ladies ready?" Bill asked from behind me. His arms slid around me for a quick hug and he nuzzled the back of my head briefly. "The rest of us will be around the pit to try distracting Apep while the Senshi prepare their attack. I think the Norns are planning something as a group, too. You want to join them, or fly solo?"

"I think I'd better see what they're planning," Mara said, taking off to fly toward the others.

"Now that you've chased her away, what are you up to, love?" I turned and rested my head on his chest for a moment. This was one of the things the others envied me for: being able to draw strength from his love, the way Usagi and Mamoru, Haruka and Michiru, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru, and Setsuna and Sarah did.

"I'm not sure. There's something tickling at the back of my mind, like an old memory that wants to come out, but isn't quite ready yet. And it has something to do with Apep." He shrugged and stroked my hair, murmuring softly, "It'll come when it comes, I guess."

"As long as it doesn't have anything to do with it killing you." I looked up at him with my fiercest glare. He laughed and kissed me.

"Even if it did, it's a memory, not a precognition. I wouldn't dare die. Not if it means leaving you behind."

I squeezed him as tight as I could and growled softly, "Don't you dare. I couldn't live without you."

"No more than I could live without you?" He held me gently until I let up the pressure, then murmured, "Hadn't we better get back to the others?"

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.

 

* * *

 

Skuld watched Belldandy worriedly. She'd been pushing herself since the first demon eruption, and it was showing. Ice cream and sake were plentiful in the back of Bill's van, but Belldandy hadn't taken advantage of the bed that was also there.

**Oneesan? What are we going to do about Oneesama?**

**If she doesn't lay down soon, I'm going to hit her over the head and make her lay down. We can't afford to have her fall asleep in the middle of fighting.**

**Let's try something less drastic first, ok?**

**What do you have in mind?**

Skuld landed beside Belldandy and took her arm.

"Come on, Oneesama. You need to sleep. You look like you've been fighting all the hordes of Niflheim and Muspelheim combined."

Belldandy's eyelids drooped as she turned to look at Skuld. After a moment of apparent indecision, she let out a long sigh and nodded. "You're right, imouto. I'm not doing anyone any favors, am I?"

"No, you're not. Especially yourself. Now let's go over here. There's a nice comfy bed set up in the back of this van."

Skuld led Belldandy around to the back of Bill's van and opened the doors for her, then watched intently until she saw Belldandy's eyes close and her breathing slow to a stop. That was a good sign: Skuld doubted she'd relaxed enough to stop breathing in the entire time since she'd become involved with Keiichi.

She grabbed a tub of ice cream, then, after a moment's hesitation, two jars of sake, and gently closed the doors. Urd was talking with Sailor Venus when she found her, and flashed one of her annoying grins when she handed her the sake.

"Gee, thanks, Bug! This is just what I needed! So...you see any cute young soldiers?"

"You....you....PERVERT!" Skuld shrieked and stomped away to eat her ice cream in peace.

_How can she be thinking like that right NOW? We have a lot more important things to worry about than whether her perverted impulses get satisfied. And it's not as if I would be interested in one of these soldiers, even if I were as much of a pervert as she is. They're all MORTAL!_

"Got any more where that came from?" Skuld looked up to see Sailor Venus standing beside her with a grin on her face. Why did she have to look so much like Urd when she was grinning like that?

"Umm....yes. There's a freezer in the back of the van that's full of ice cream. You'll have to use the ladder to get any, though. I mean, unless you can levitate it out like I can."

"Oh, that's ok. We're used to that freezer." Sailor Venus laughed. "Bill made it that big so that we wouldn't have to worry about Usagi and Chibi-Usa going hungry when we went on a picnic."

Skuld giggled. She could imagine the two of them on a picnic, and the image reminded her of that character in the anime with the neat capsule-based technology. What was his name...? Oh well. It wasn't important.

"That's better. So, want to tell me why you were mad? Or who you were mad at?" Sailor Venus perched on a chunk of rubble next to Skuld and gave her a friendly smile, instead of that maniacal grin she'd had just a moment before.

"Just my stupid oneesan," Skuld grumbled. "Here we are, fighting hordes of demons, and SHE's being a pervert, as usual."

"Well...." Sailor Venus actually sounded thoughtful, which was a real surprise. "If she wasn't, wouldn't you worry that something had replaced her? I mean, Urd NOT being a pervert would be as big a surprise as Ami BEING one, wouldn't you say?"

"Well...I guess you're right...but I don't have to like it. And she had the gall to ask if I'd seen any soldiers I liked. As if that was even possible! I mean, they're all mortals! And I'm not a pervert, like she is."

"Keiichi's a mortal, you know."

"I know," Skuld whispered as she looked into her ice cream. "And I'm so scared for oneesama. When he dies..."

"Hey, it happens to everyone, sooner or later." Sailor Venus rested a hand on Skuld's shoulder. "Even gods die, right? Besides, when he dies, won't he just go to live with her in heaven? I mean, I can't imagine him going anywhere else."

Skuld swallowed and nodded. Yes, even gods die, but when they die, it's in war, not of old age. There was something obscene about the idea of dying of old age...something that made Skuld's stomach feel queasy. But how could she explain it?

"Hey, Bug. All any of us have for sure is today. So why not take full advantage of it?" Sailor Venus pulled Skuld into a hug and stroked her hair. Amazingly, it felt almost as soothing as when Oneesama did it.

 

* * *

 

We all took advantage of the chance to rest for a few minutes. I was leaning against Haruka and watching the pit when a dark green plastic package landed on my lap. I looked up, to see Bill carrying an armload of them and handing - or trying to hand - them to each of us. Apparently, the one in my lap had fallen out of his arms. I picked it up and studied it. The printing on it was black, which made it harder to read, but after a little study, I deciphered it. Meal, Ready to Eat. Lasagne.

"I know it's not really food, but it's what the SDF eats in the field. And it's a lot better than c-rations." Bill sounded somewhere between amused and apologetic.

"Not really food? What do you mean?" Haruka wasn't in the mood for any joking, and her voice showed it.

"Relax, imouto. This stuff just relates to food about the same way hospital food relates to food. The advantage here...or disadvantage, depending on how you look at it...is that you don't have a nurse delivering it to you."

The grin he gave her stopped her in her tracks. After a moment of looking at him as if she couldn't decide just what to think, she finally shook her head and smiled, saying, "You realize, of course, I'm going to have to punish you for that."

It didn't sound like much of a threat to me, either. He just laughed, gently punched her shoulder, and said, "Any time you're ready, eh? By the time you're done giving me all the punishments I've built up, I should be buried under peanuts so deeply it'll take me the next year to dig out."

OK, that didn't make sense. Peanuts? Apparently, it didn't make any sense to her, either. Bill grinned at us as we stared at him in confusion, then wandered off, saying, "I'll explain later. Remind me to tell you about it on Punday Night."

"He's being weird again," Haruka muttered. "Why do I put up with him?"

"Because you love him as much as he loves you?" I gave her a gentle kiss and looked into her eyes until she sighed and nodded. "It's nice to have a brother around, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Now let's find out what this stuff tastes like." Well, I got that much out of her, so I wasn't going to complain. It's so hard for her to admit her feelings.

We opened our pouches and rooted through their contents: several smaller pouches, disposable utensils, napkin, and minor sundries. Haruka had ended up with one containing ham and eggs. Bill was right - the stuff did taste like hospital food, although it might have tasted a little better if it had been hot. What was surprising was the fudge brownie. It actually tasted better than the fudge brownies I've bought at the Yamazaki Daily Store near my house.

We were just finishing our tea - canned tea isn't nearly as good as fresh, but it was something to drink, anyway - when the soldiers with Bill's big gun started shooting into the pit. We were on our feet and ready to fight at the first crack of thunder. The others were on their feet moments behind us. Bill was with the gun crew a moment later.

**Relax, everyone. They saw something shift at the bottom of the pit and blasted it. Better safe than sorry.**

**Is that thing always that loud?** Haruka sounded annoyed, even in my mind.

**You got me. It might end up being louder. That was only half power. I didn't want to set it to full power before I knew if it would work.**

**You mean it's never been tested?** Minako was definitely not happy. I would be just as unhappy if I were in charge.

**Nope. Never had a place to test it safely. Look at it this way. If I hadn't brought it here, the soldiers would have been forced to leave. And you know they would never leave willingly.**

**Then we'd have had to make them leave.**

_Harukachan, do you know how that sounds?_

**Not a wise move, imouto. We want them to think kindly of us, not be resentful. Especially now.**

**He's right, beloved. We need them on our side.**

Haruka grumbled, but didn't argue. The soldiers seemed to be satisfied with the cannon, so we didn't have to put up with any more of its noise. We moved back to our designated positions, so that we wouldn't have to run when the next attack came, and settled in to wait.

The pit was quiet for some time - I'm not sure how long, but it seemed like it dragged on forever. According to Galatea, it was only a little over an hour before things started happening, but the level of tension made it seem far longer.

When it did happen, there was no mistaking it. Suddenly, the bottom of the pit exploded up and out as the head of a serpent came out of it. The head completely filled the pit, and rose a good twenty meters above it, before it began to move. From filling the pit, it rose on a neck that was only slightly smaller than the head, and continued rising until it was as high as the Tokyo Tower. From there, it leveled itself, then swiveled around, as if searching for something.

**They fought this before we met them? I'm impressed.**

**Don't get distracted, love. I'm not sure we're strong enough for this.**

I wasn't sure, either. What I saw in my mirror was something so powerfully evil it made sense only if if were Chaos itself. If that was the case, we stood no chance against it. The best we could do is keep it busy until we found some way to get help.

The serpent's head lowered, pointing first toward the Palace, then shifted again, this time pointing at Endymion.  _Endymion? But I thought he was back at the Palace?_  That was all we needed. In an instant, the air was full of everything we could throw at it, from the water in Rusty's Supersoaker to whatever it was Urd and Skuld were throwing at it. All we seemed to be doing was making it angry.

Then things started getting weird.

Suddenly, I felt myself henshining again. All of us were henshining again. When the transformation finished, I felt as if I were burning with power, from the tips of my toes to the tips of my....wings? The only time I'd ever seen wings like this was when the Princess had taken her ultimate form in the battle with Galaxia. And the power....the difference between my old power and this new power was as extreme as between my mortal form and my old power.

"Astral Tsunami!"

"Mercury Hailstorm!"

"Astral Typhoon!"

"Time Spear!"

"Plasma Spear!"

"Heart Arrow!"

"Acorn Explosion!"

"Rebirth Cry!"

"Ice Spear!"

"Shadow Storm!"

"Phoenix Strike!"

"Heart Rending!"

OK. Now it was more than merely angry. Its head dropped, aiming directly for the King. As one, we leapt into the air between him and it, and hit it with our new attacks.

**One more time, then peel off.**

**But...**

**Trust me, Venus. I know what I'm doing.**

He sounded as sure of himself as Serenity does when she's speaking as our Queen. And there was no mistake about it. Somehow, I knew that they were no longer merely our Prince and Princess; they were now our King and Queen.

We did as he commanded. Every one of us hit it once more, then we pulled away. He looked up at it, with a kind of a sad look of resignation on his face, the Golden Crystal between his hands.

"Be still."

It wasn't shouted, but the power of command in his voice echoed through all of us. The Crystal flared, and the serpent was surrounded by a golden glow that froze it in place like an enormous statue.

**Now it's our turn.**

That sounded like Bill, but at the same time, it didn't. There was a wilder tone to it - less restrained.

Belldandy floated up past us, followed by Urd, Skuld, and Mara. A few moments later, the Queen appeared, floating as lightly on her wings as a dandelion seed. She landed beside the King and took his hand. Then came the sound of a savage yell, as someone leapt for the serpent, with a spear in his hand. His skin was pale – almost white – his hair was as red as Sailor Mars' fuku, and all he was wearing was a white skirt and an ankh that glowed as brightly as the Silver Crystal.

**He always was more impetuous than is good for him.**

OK. If URD was saying someone was too impetuous, he must really be bad. But who was he? Whoever he was, he was going at the serpent like he had a personal grudge with it. I was sure he was extremely lucky the thing was frozen.

**Everyone, I need your help. Please lend me your power.**

Our Queen had asked, so I - well, any of us - could hardly say no. I gazed at her and offered my power, surprised as always that she could accept it so easily, yet not weaken me in the slightest by doing so. As her light grew with the addition of our powers, the serpent broke free of the King's bonds and struck at the King and Queen - only to be met by the point of the red-haired man's spear, which bit deeply into the end of its nose. The King and Queen raised their Crystals in unison, while above us the Goddesses formed a ring around Belldandy. Light came from both Belldandy and the Crystals, and it quickly became too bright to see anything.

 

* * *

 

Keiichi looked from the displays in the coffee table to the TV screen on the wall and back again. The displays made it clear that the Senshi were ok, but he had to keep looking at the TV screen to see Belldandy and be reassured she was, too. Seeing Skuld bundle her into the back of a van to sleep made it easier for him to relax, least a little bit. He sat back and closed his eyes as he listened to the chatter, laughing softly at the reaction to the news that Bill's particle beam cannon was untested.

"Artemis, Luna, Keiichi, you have to see this!"

David changed the display on the TV screen as he spoke. Without thinking, Keiichi was his feet and bowing toward the image of the Emperor, who was wearing his most formal ceremonial garb. Serenity and Sailor Moon were standing behind him, with four senshi he didn't recognize flanking them like an honor guard.

"My people, I bring you news that is both grave and hopeful. As you have seen, Tokyo has been invaded by demonic entities, the like of which we have not seen since the snow demons, and maybe not even then. Our deepest gratitude goes to the families of our soldiers who have given their lives in battle against these enemies, and to those who remain and stand beside the Sailor Senshi to defend our land.

"Now it is time for all of us to join in the battle. Our Queen, Neo-Queen Serenity, needs each and every one of us to lend her our faith and trust. I ask you to believe in her, listen to what she asks, and to join in the fight as those of my house have done."

The Emperor turned to Serenity and bowed until his forehead touched the floor at her feet. Serenity's expression turned from worry to surprise, but the surprise quickly vanished as she stepped up to take his place.

"As the Emperor has said, this is a grave time. Our enemies have chosen to strike at the very heart of Japan. I ask each one to you join me in meditating on whatever you love most about our land. It doesn't matter what it is, whether it's someone you love, a special memory, a special place, or even an ideal that what you wish for. The important thing is that you love it, and that you can bring it to mind now and meditate on it.

"Call upon the kami, pray to your god, ask your saints for their help, whatever your faith, whoever you pray to. The enemy we are fighting desires nothing less than the total destruction of all that exists, so our only option is to defeat it. To do this, I require each you to lend me your love, your trust, and your faith. If you have a shrine or church you go to when you pray, I ask you to go there now, and add your strength to each other. Together, with our love and our faith, we will defeat this enemy."

Serenity stepped away from the microphone and, in a flurry of feathers so white they hurt look at, transformed from her royal self into something greater; an angelic form that was so pure in essence that even her nudity was divine. She folded her wings about herself and said, in a voice that was heard much with the heart as the ears, "I love you, and I believe in you. Every one of you." Then she vanished.

Keiichi stood transfixed in front of the TV for several moments after, then slowly sank to his knees. Artemis and Luna shook their heads and turned back the coffee table, where the monitors showed things were still fairly quiet.

"My Queen, if you could see your daughter now..." Luna murmured.

"I believe she can, Luna. I just hope I'm living up to her standard," Serenity said, from where she stood in the open part of the room. She wrapped her wings around herself and sank to her knees with a sigh.

Luna padded over and put her paws on her knees, looked up at her face, and said, "She would be proud of you. The only drawback of what you did will be the Selenites."

Serenity let out a soft groan and hid her face in her hands. "Why did you have to remind me, Luna?" She gave a soft sigh, then shrugged. "Well, there's nothing to be done for them. Keiichi, would you mind getting me a cup of tea? I'm afraid wings make getting around the house a little difficult."

Keiichi jumped to his feet and bowed, then rushed the kitchen to put on water for tea. While he waited for it to boil, he leaned against the kitchen table, deep in thought.

_Bell-chan, right now she reminds me of you. I hope she's as capable as you are. Please be careful._

 

* * *

 

Once Keiichi had gone into the kitchen, I relaxed a little and let my wings droop. Nudity in this form wasn't as big a deal as it would have been otherwise, but still, Keiichi's a man, and I didn't feel totally comfortable with only Artemis and Luna as chaperones.

"How are they doing?" I hadn't heard any of them say anything about fighting since the last eruption, an hour or so earlier, but I had to be sure.

Artemis looked up from the coffee table with a worried look on his face.

"Nothing for a while. They've all had a chance to get something to eat and rest a bit, but what might be building up while they're resting?"

"Whatever it is, a rest means they'll be better able to cope with it. I just hope there were enough people paying attention to the TV and radio to do as I asked. It's not going to be easy, even with their help."

Luna placed a paw on my thigh and looked up at me with that wise look she gets every time she wants me to pay attention.

"Your Majesty, they could not help but do as you asked. We could feel your presence, even through the TV. Anyone who loves life will leap to obey you."

I couldn't help it. I blushed. More than that: I was afraid. With all the years I've been fighting evil creatures, those two simple words gave me more fear than I've felt since the night a certain black cat dropped a brooch on my bed. I wasn't ready to be Queen. Not yet. But first the Emperor, and now Luna, were treating me as if I already was. The responsibility was just too much to think about.

Luckily, I didn't have to think too long; David chose that moment to speak up.

"You'd better look at this. I don't like the way – oh, shit."

There was no question why he was upset. Whatever was coming out of the bottom of the pit was big. Very big.

"David, ask Keiichi to hold the tea for later. Luna, Artemis, keep him safe."

I wrapped my wings around myself and teleported to Endymion's side. Once my feet were on the ground, I took his hand and looked up at the serpent. He'd obviously frozen it, but his hold on it was quickly weakening. There was no choice but to finish it as quickly as possible. The Norns were already flying to a position above it, and . . . I don't know who it was, but he had the power of a God . . . was leaping for the serpent with a spear in his hand.

**He always was more impetuous than is good for him.**

Well, apparently Urd knew the stranger, so he shouldn't be a problem. The problem was the serpent. This was our real enemy; this was the Death Phantom.

**Everyone, I need your help. Please lend me your power.**

I could feel each one as she opened herself to me; their trust and love energized me even more than the power they so willingly shared. I felt my love touch me with his own spirit, and knew we could defeat the enemy.

**Do you feel it, beloved? Our people are reaching out to us.**

**I do. With all of Japan supporting us, I believe we'll have the strength we need.**

We knew what we had to do; my king and I raised our crystals as one. As the light from our crystals spread to envelope us, the words we needed came into our minds as if they'd always been there.

"Away from me, you Uncreated! The Light rejects you!" As I said them, the words seemed to be ancient; older even than the Moon Kingdom.

"Away from me, you Uncreated! The Living reject you!" Endymion's voice was strong and clear as he spoke.

With my call and his response, it felt as if we were performing a litany. With each call, the light of our crystals grew brighter and stronger; it was an almost physical presence.

"You are cast down!"

"You are cast out!"

"You have no place!"

"You have no form!"

"All that is created rejects you!"

"All that lives casts you out!"

"You are cast down!

"You are cast out!"

"Your name is erased!"

"Your power is destroyed!"

Our light was so bright that I couldn't see the serpent any longer, but I could feel it growing weaker as we chanted. I could hear the strange god continuing his assault on the serpent; as the chant went on, the sounds began to come from below us, in the pit.

The strangest thing about the whole situation was that I didn't feel the power of the Ginzuishou the way it usually came on me. This time, it was as if the power was shaping what was coming from the Crystal Points, along with the prayers and hopes of everyone in Japan. I felt as if it was flowing through me, like water through a hose, and instead of the power overwhelming me, I was growing with it, feeling the hopes and fears of every person who was offering, from the Emperor down to the most innocent child. These were my people; my responsibility. I couldn't fail them.

**Serenitysan, Endymionsan, hold back a moment and give Set-sama a chance to get out of the pit.**

Belldandy's suggestion was a surprise, but the image of what she wanted to do made sense.

**Out of the pit? Why would I want to do that? I have this motherless thing right where I want it!**

The 'voice' was strange; harsh, even a bit brutal. It was, in a way, like Bill's 'voice' when he's hunting demons, but without the humanity to soften it.

**How about...Because you know you can hurt him a lot more with your magic than you can with that little spear of yours?**

Trust Urd to make even a tactical suggestion sound like it was 2/3 innuendo. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.

**Come down here and we'll just see how little you think my spear is up close.**

**Ah-ah! Fighting now, fun later. OH-hohohohoho!**

He was still grumbling, but Set DID fly up out of the pit and take the position Belldandy had wanted him to take. Urd, Mara, and Skuld remained in the air above the center of the pit, and Belldandy took a position on the other side of the pit, so that between her, Set, and, Endymion and me, we formed a perfect triangle around the pit.

A storm began swirling around Set as he pointed his spear at the sky; within moments, he was surrounded by what looked like living, dancing figures made of lightning. Belldandy placed her hands together in prayer, and an angel appeared above and behind her. I knew it had to be Holy Bell, and she was even more pure and beautiful than I'd imagined. Without having to look, I could feel my friends, my warriors, standing behind me, each one offering everything she is for my use.

Above the pit, Urd, Mara, and Skuld began to glow. Their auras quickly joined to form a light of rainbow whiteness. Then, their light reached out to all three points of our triangle, and we were bathed in a power you can only understand if you experience it. It was as if the future and the past, life and death, had become mingled and grown more powerful from the mingling.

After a moment of bathing in the power from above, we reached out for each other, our powers joining to complete the triangle we formed. With our powers joined, we formed a wall to seal the serpent in. It reared and threw itself against the wall, only to be thrown back in a flash of light.

When the serpent fell back, we struck as one. Faced with attacks from four directions, it shrank, collapsing in on itself until only the unnatural feel of its power told us it was still there. That's when Set yelled.

"NOW! Hit it with everything you've been holding back!"

_Everything we've been holding back?_

I was confused. What did he mean, 'everything we've been holding back'? Then I felt Endymion's power rising, and I understood. We needed to give as selflessly as Chibi-Usa and I had when we drove it away the last time. I didn't need to ask; my friends – the Ayakashi sisters as well as my senshi – were already offering whatever they had left. I accepted it with love and thanks, and joined it with my power, and then Endymion's, before sending it into what was left of the serpent.

The light in the pit grew so bright, I had to close my eyes, but that didn't shut out the sensations of the power flowing through and around me. It took both Endymion's power and my own combined to equal the power of either Set or Belldandy alone. Even the trio above us were having difficulty matching them. The Death Phantom's presence suddenly swelled, as if it were fighting against us with all its power, then vanished in an instant as our mingled powers filled the pit in a sphere that felt as if we could touch it where we stood.

We let the power fade in unison. When I opened my eyes, the pit had grown; now it stopped just short of our feet, and was so deep I had to get a measurement from Hecate. The foundation of our Palace would now be 400 feet deep, and 800 feet across. Oddly enough, I still did not feel as drained as I had always felt before when using so much power. I was tired, yes, but not exhausted. I relaxed and let Endymion support me as my wings vanished and my gown reappeared.

 

* * *

 

Belldandy sat on a piece of rubble and closed her eyes.

_All I need is a few minutes' rest. I don't feel him any more, so it should be safe._

It seemed she'd hardly sat down when Skuld was at her side, urging her to go lay down in the back of the van. Laying down did seem more comfortable than sitting on rubble, but she couldn't do that just yet. Set was still there, and he was notoriously unreliable.

Belldandy laughed softly as she thought of how much Set and Thor were alike, then gently patted Skuld's hand.

"It'll be ok, Skuld. Now let's go join the King and Queen."

As they crossed the pit to where Endymion and Serenity stood, Belldandy noticed the wings all the Senshi had manifested during the battle were now fading away, and they were gathered around their Queen with various expressions of concern. For the most part, their concern seemed unnecessary; Serenity seemed no more drained than she would have if she had run around Juuban as Usagi without tripping over herself.

"I believe we can safely say your future home is now safe," Belldandy said. "I don't sense Jörmungandr anywhere. All that's left are his minions, and we'll probably be hunting them down for weeks."

"I agree," Serenity said. "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary near us. Sailor Venus, would you make sure everyone is accounted for?"

Belldandy wondered why Serenity had asked for that, and reached out with her own senses, coming to a surprising conclusion. Somehow, in the fighting, Bill had disappeared. She threw a quick glance at Mara and Sailor Mercury, but said nothing.

**You noticed it, too?**

** I did, Serenity-sama. But at the same time, his companion is still here.**

**Yes, he is. And I am definitely going to want some explanations when he comes back to us.**

**We're certainly not going to get them before he does. HE isn't noted for explaining himself. He just acts, and leaves the pieces for others to pick up.**

**And I get the feeling we're about to have some pieces to pick up.**

Belldandy glanced toward Urd, where Set was landing with a lecherous grin on his face. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten her challenge before the fight. Urd, as usual, grinned back at him and latched on to his arm while whispering into his ear.

**Any moment now, Serenity-sama. You'll need to restore his energy when he returns.**

"Damn!" Set complained loudly. "Why is it I can never find a human who can take the strain? You'll have to take a rain-check, Urd-honey."

With that, Set suddenly collapsed, held up only by Urd's grip on his arm. By the time he reached the ground, it was Bill's body that Urd was lowering – and he looked as if he'd run several marathons, then topped them off by climbing a mountain and fighting with a few dozen trolls at the top.

Mara and Sailor Mercury were at Bill's side in moments, while Serenity reached out with her Crystal and enveloped him in its healing light. His eyes opened and he let out a soft groan.

"Man....who turned Gojiro loose?" Bill reached up and gently touched Sailor Mercury's cheek, then let his hand fall back. "What in the hell happened? Feels like I went 20 rounds with an electric fence."

Mercury hugged him tightly, while Mara wrapped her arms around both of them. Mercury's sobs kept her from speaking for several minutes, so Mara looked worriedly toward Belldandy. Belldandy smiled and nodded. She saw no reason to hold Mara back. Not with the love between the three of them.

"I'm afraid you weren't here for the big fight," Mara said gently. "Set borrowed your body for a while. We won."

"Oh man...do I  **look**  like a priest?" Bill groaned. "I'm not trained for that kind of stuff, and He decided to use  **me**?"

He let out a heavy sigh, hugged Mercury tightly, and muttered, "At least we won."

Urd let out a laugh. "That sounds like something HE would say. You just lay back and let them take care of you, or Nurse Urd will have to step in."

Belldandy bit her lip with the effort of holding in a laugh. It was obvious Sailor Mercury wasn't going to let "Nurse Urd" anywhere near him. Meanwhile, Mara looked understandably confused. Belldandy made a note to explain when they were home again.

 

* * *

 

My head felt like the Indy 500 was running in it, every part of my body ached like I had fibromyalgia again, and I could tell the only thing keeping me awake was the energy from the Ginzuishou. And to top it all off, my hair was frizzed out, like I was standing next to a van de Graaf. Thank goodness I wear it in a ponytail.

Ami was still holding me tightly, and even Mara didn't seem interested in letting go. Lucky thing Ami has short hair, and Mara could use her powers to control hers. When I tried gently kissing Ami, she refused to let it stay that way. She made that kiss into one that told me just how scared for me she was.

**Sweetheart? Amichan? I'm ok. We won. Everything's fine.**

**Why didn't you warn me you were going to do that?**

**Because it wasn't my idea?**

"WHAT?!?!?" Ami sat up with a look of shock on her face. "What do you mean, it wasn't your idea?"

"Just that, love," I said as I took her hand. "When it was obvious the fight was about to start, I prayed for help, but didn't expect an answer like that."

"I suppose he was as rude as ever when he moved in," Mara teased.

"Well...that depends on what you mean by 'as ever,' doesn't it?" I flashed Mara a quick smile. "I will say that either He's been around a lot of SubGenii lately, or they've been around Him."

"SubGenii? What in the world?" Mara's kind of cute when she's confused. OK, so she's kind of cute all the time, now that she's not trying to hard to live down to what she thought was her heritage.

Ami giggled. "What happened? Did he call you a pinkboy or something?"

"That's exactly what he did. There I was, minding my own business, praying for some help so I'd be strong enough to help kill Apep, when suddenly I feel someone barging in, saying, 'Stand aside, pinkboy. I got a snake to kill.'" I looked around and shrugged. "Next thing I know, I feel like someone's used my body for staff practice and my head for an entire percussion concerto. But as long as we won, I can put up with it. Although I could really use a couple weeks of sack time."

Mara broke into laughter and gently punched my shoulder.

"There's your problem. You used the magic word 'strong.' Don't you know he has a thing about being the strongest one there is? I've heard about what happens when him and Thor start drinking."

As if my headache wasn't bad enough before, the thought of two storm gods getting drunk together just made it worse.

**Sweetheart, I'm afraid you're going to have to drive us home. Do you feel up to it?**

**Is your headache that bad?**

**Yeah. And the buzzing isn't helping any.**

**Buzzing? What buzzing?**

**You mean, you can't hear it?**

"Can anyone besides me hear a kind of a buzzing noise?" I looked around as I asked, to see what kind of responses I'd get.

Serenity and Endymion looked at each other, then nodded. Rei looked puzzled, but nodded as well, as did Michiru, Hotaru, Usagi, and Setsuna. All four goddesses nodded, along with Fluorite and Naru. Belldandy looked as if she were about to speak when I got another surprise as Edgar spoke up.

"I suppose it would seem to be buzzing to organic ears, but that's not how we're perceiving it."

At first, I thought Edgar had somehow figured out how to drive the watch speaker beyond its limits, but then I sensed what was actually going on and was surprised all over again. Somehow, he'd discovered how to directly manipulate the air around himself to produce sounds as if he had a decent speaker under his control.

"What we are perceiving is an influx of hyperdimensional energy in the same frequency bands as are used by the King and Queen's crystals, your ankh, all four goddesses, and – to various lesser degrees – the Senshi. We began to perceive the influx with the activation of the city's Crystal Points. Based on the contours of the energy flow, our tentative conclusion is that the Crystal Points are transmitting energy to this location."

Skuld whipped out her goggles and scanned around us while Edgar was talking. At the same time, Ami was studying her computer's display with a worried look.

"This is bad. This is very bad," Skuld said. "Unless something is placed here to receive the energy, it's going to build up until a magical vortex is formed."

"And with the level of energy that's coming from the Crystal Points," Ami added, "we have less than four hours to put something here. After that, the vortex will become self-sustaining and require a magical explosion at least as powerful as Belldandy's spirit bomb to disrupt."

OK. Skuld was right. This was bad. This was very bad. But maybe...

**Edgar, can any of you use enough energy to keep it below the critical level?**

**I'm sorry, Father, but all of us combined could not absorb enough.**

**All right. What's the minimum it would take to absorb enough?**

"...right, Bill?" Ami's voice broke through my thoughts. I blushed as I realized I'd been so wrapped up in trying to come up with an answer that I hadn't heard what was being said.

"Umm...could you repeat that for me, please? I kind of got caught up in getting information from Edgar."

Ami smiled and shook her head. That had happened to us enough times that sometimes it seemed she expected it. It only made me blush more, of course, especially when several of the others started giggling behind their hands.

"I was just suggesting that if we could duplicate the tower we saw in the center of the Crystal Palace when we were there, it should be able to keep the ambient energy level below critical. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well....I would agree, if I had any idea of what you meant." Even as I said it, I got an image flash; one of her memories, with the crystal tower at the heart of the Crystal Palace in clear view. "Sweetheart...I think...you just may be on to something....But how can we do it?"

Ami's blush faded and her smile returned.

"That's the easy part. The King and Queen should be able to activate this crystal the way Belldandy activated the others. But the rest of us will have to guard them while they're doing it."

Well now, that was something I could handle, no problems. At least, that was what I thought, until I tried to stand up. Dizzy doesn't even  **begin**  to cover it. The last time I'd felt this dizzy was once when I'd made the mistake of letting myself get extremely dehydrated. I'd broken an elbow that time. It was definitely not one of the high points of my previous life.

Suddenly, Belldandy was there with Mara and Ami, and speaking gently.

"You're going to be drained and confused for a while. The best thing would be for you to go lay down in the van." She stopped a moment and laughed softly, musically, making the world seem all right for that moment. "Yes, I know you're not ready to give up yet, but sometimes it's the right thing to do."

Ami squeezed my hand and said softly, "Please, go lay down?"

"For you, love," I sighed with a smile. How could I say no to her? She's my life, my heart, everything that makes life worth living.

I started for the van, and hadn't gone more than a half-dozen steps when I felt myself being lifted off the ground. My instinctive reaction was to strike, but I found myself unable to. I guess it had something to do with the way Mara's arms were wrapped around me. I don't know how much of her strength she was exerting, but I know my hands weren't going anywhere. And, honestly, I just couldn't find the desire to argue with her over it.

"You realize, it's embarrassing to be carried like this." OK, my protest didn't sound all that convincing to me, either, but I had to at least make the attempt. But by the time I'd gotten that out, she was depositing me on the bed in the back of the van.

"You're not very convincing, you know." She bent down and kissed my forehead. "Maybe I should slide in there with you and give you some incentive, hmm?"

OK, that gave me a jolt. Enough of one that she started laughing, patted my cheek, and said, "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to either of you. Of course, if Ami were here too, it might be another matter...."

Mara trailed off and gave me a look that had me intently reminding myself that I was devoted to Ami, no matter what. She winked and turned back toward the pit.

**You're so easy to tease, Bill. Now go to sleep, or I'll come back and  **help**  you sleep.**

I sighed and tiredly pbbbt'ed at her as she walked away. For some reason, that made her laugh again.

**Father, what happened while I was out?**

**The enemy was defeated. For now.**

**But why Him?**

**You asked for the strength to defeat the enemy. He is... **too**  proud of his strength. And, you have yet to learn the uses of your talisman.**

**My talisman?**

**The ankh. You have not given it nearly the study it needs. Because of that, there was not enough time for you to learn how to use its power.**

**And so He had to do it for me.**

**Exactly. Now follow the advice of your family. Rest.**

He didn't say anything further not that I would have understood. I was already falling asleep.

 

* * *

 

Mara slipped an arm around Sailor Mercury and gave her a quick hug.

"You know, if this were my world, I would be so tempted," she said softly. "Between the two of you and Naru, it's going to be hard to go home."

When Ami returned the hug, Mara's heart skipped a little. She wanted to just hold on and not ever let go.

"I understand," Ami answered, just as quietly. "We love you just as much. Why don't we get this finished here so we can go home?"

Mara felt as if she were walking on air as she joined her sisters.

Urd snickered and poked her gently as she stagewhispered to Skuld, "Don't worry. The gravity problem will go away soon enough."

"Now, oneesan," Belldandy gently chided Urd, "don't tease. It's nice to see her happy."

Mara felt a blush trying to form, but Belldandy was right. She was happy – too happy to care if she should be embarrassed.

"The four of us should cover them from above," Skuld said, "while the Senshi guard them on the ground. I don't see any demons nearby, but there are enough places for them to hide that there might be surprises."

The four floated up until they were far enough above the ground that they could see over the surrounding buildings. Once they were able to see clearly over the buildings, they formed a circle, facing outward. Reaching out with their power, the joined together to form a shield for those below them.

_This feels so good, being able to be a part of them...us...rather than always fighting them._

Mara saw the Senshi congregate around Serenity, then leap off in all directions. For a moment, Mara felt a flash of worry that they'd sensed a new attack, but relaxed when she saw they were headed for the Crystal Points.

**Ami? What are you up to?**

**You'll see. Serenity realized what we have to do in order to control the power so she can gather it, and we're going to do that right now.**

**We can't protect you if you're outside our shielding.**

**That's ok, Mara. Serenity is the one who most needs you right now. Trust me?**

Mara sighed, but knew she couldn't  **not**  trust Ami. She sent a flash of love after her and refocused her attention on those below her, just in time to see the sisters and four new Senshi leave together. Then Fluorite and Naru vanished for a moment, only to reappear at two of the Crystal Points. With that, Mara reached out, to find that each of the Senshi was at a different crystal point, paired with either one of the sisters or one of the new Senshi.

_Now it makes sense. I wonder if they understand the effect it will have on them?_

 

* * *

 

"We can make awakening this crystal easier for you," Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer and fixed her gaze on Serenity as she spoke. "If each of us goes to one of the Crystal Points and channels the power from it, so that the flow is controlled, it will make it easier for you to focus on awakening the Palace Crystal without having to cope with the full force of the power."

"But the effect it will have on each of you," Serenity started, only to be interrupted by Sailor Mars.

"...is no more than what we've already pledged, my Queen. Our lives, our hopes, our very hearts are yours. Please, don't stop us from doing this for you."

"The Senshi aren't the only ones who want to do this for you," Petz said, surprising everyone around her. "Is there some way we can help?"

I was upset for just a moment when she made the offer. She hadn't consulted with any of us, but that's always been her way. And when I looked at Cooan and Calaveras, I could see they felt as I did; we all wanted to help as much as Petz did.

"Beruche? Cooan? Calaveras? Do you understand what will happen if you do this?" Serenity asked. She honestly didn't seem to understand that the very thing that made her ask is the reason we were so eager to help.

"If we do this, we will be bound to you as strongly as your Guardians are," I answered. "Our hearts will be open to you, and you will be as much a part of us as we are of each other."

"It can be done," Sailor Mercury said. "Two people can channel a crystal as easily as one, if they are in tune with each other."

"Mother," Sailor Moon said, "We can help channel the Crystals, too."

"Not you, dear," Serenity said. "This is not your time. You are already in tune with the Palace Crystal, so we'll need your help to ensure it awakens properly. Your Guardians may, if they wish, but if they do, you'll need to gather the power they channel so they aren't torn between two bonds."

Sailor Moon turned to the Senshi who had come with her. They didn't say anything I could hear, but after a moment they nodded and came to join us.

"Hi. I'm Sailor Vesta." the one in the red fuku said.

I figured it was easiest to let Petz do the talking while I studied them. Besides their really bizarre hair styles, they looked ok. A bit younger than our friends, but if they were good enough to be Senshi, they should be ok. And Serenity had said they were Usagi's Guardians, so they must be at least as good at protecting her as our friends were at protecting Serenity.

"Hi. I like your hairstyle," the one in blue said to me. She pitched her voice in a tone that would carry as far as Serenity and Sailor Moon, and added, "It's ever so much more practical than the style the Princess wears."

Sailor Moon turned and gave a bi-dah in our direction. I couldn't help but laugh. Usagi's hair had finally grown long enough that her royal hairstyle didn't look silly on her, but doing those rabbit ears every morning had to take more time than braiding mine did. Given her hairstyle, it seemed odd that the blue Senshi was commenting on Sailor Moon's hair, but it was nice to get a compliment.

"Hi. I'm Beruche. I didn't know the Spore had her own Guardians." I made sure that reached Sailor Moon's ears, too. I saw Serenity trying very hard to hold in a giggle as Sailor Moon stomped over to join us.

"Why hello, Princess," the blue Senshi said, with a totally overdone look of innocence on her face. "What brings you over here?"

Sailor Moon gave her a wicked smile and said softly, "Don't forget, Pallas-chan, I can get away with all sorts of things in this time that Mother would never let me get away with back home. Things like taking you and your girlfriend to a museum and abandoning you there with the most boring guide I can find."

_This is supposed to be a threat? It sounds like...wait a minute._  "GIRLFRIEND?" For a momnent, I thought I had an echo. Then I realized it had hit Pallas just as quickly as it had hit me. I glanced her way and noticed her face looked as red as mine felt. I conjured up a ball of water and eyed Sailor-Moon, considering where to apply it.

"Girlfriend, huh? Do either of us look like we have pink hair? Do either of us look like we have a shrine to the scariest Senshi in the world in our apartments?" Pallas was stalking toward Sailor Moon with her hands out as if to tickle her. "Do either of us look as if our faces are trying very hard to match our hair color?"

With that, she pounced, and I had to dispel the water or risk getting them both. Sailor Moon was shrieking with laughter and batting at Pallas' hands, with no effect, until Serenity came over and asked gently, "Should I invite Hotaru to come back and join you?"

Pallas jumped back and shook her head. "No, that's quite all right. We need to go find those Crystal Points." She grabbed my wrist and ran for the nearest usable street. "Come on, Beruche, there's an unclaimed point this way!"

_Well, she's definitely energetic enough. But does she realize what's going to happen between us?_

"Pallas? Are you sure you want to do this? You don't even know me."

"Not yet, I don't. But when my sisters and I awoke in the 30th Century, you and your sisters were the ones who helped us fit in."

I noticed she was blushing again, as if there was more to it than just "fitting in." Of course, if what I understood about what we were about to do was correct, and I was about to spend a thousand years separated from someone I was going to be hopelessly in love with....

"Pallas? How bad were we? How bad was I? Please tell me I didn't hurt or embarrass you."

She stopped and turned to face me.

"That's the worst part of it. You didn't. None of you did. Not even Petz. We could feel how much you wanted – how strongly you loved us – but not one of you did anything that was the slightest bit improper. But sometimes, when I was patrolling the Palace, I'd hear one of you crying and praying for the hurting to stop. And if I can make your hurting stop by loving you the way you love me, then you'd better believe that's just what I'm going to do."

"But are you doing it just because of my pain, or because you want it for yourself?"

"Beruche, you're my best friend in the 30th Century. I would do anything for you. The only one I love more than you is my Princess. But what I feel is a sisterly kind of love. I want to understand, to feel, to know, the love that you have for me. I believe that when I do, I'll be able to love you the same way you love me."

She reached out without warning and pulled me into a hug, then laughed as she started pulling me along again. "Come on! The others are already at their Points!"

Well, I couldn't come up with a single argument that even I would believe against what she wanted, so I let her drag me along without any resistance. Besides, I suspected that what was going to happen would be a lot like what Ami and Bill had, and that was something I wanted. The way Ami all but glowed with joy was something I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting.

"Here we are!" Pallas announced as she stopped in the street in front of a crystal spire that looked about 20 meters tall.

Now that we weren't moving anymore, I looked around, and had to laugh.

"Oh, Serenity is going to be so disappointed. That was her favorite ice cream shop." It was her favorite arcade, too, but the ice cream shop was what she'd be most upset about.

"Don't worry. We have a restaurant in the Palace, and it serves ice cream. Makochan is the best cook ever."

"Even in the 30th Century, huh?" I had to smile at that. A restaurant in the Palace sounded strange, but then again, strange seemed to be the defining principle of our lives. "So now what do we do?

"Do you mind if I do the guiding here?" Pallas squeezed my hand and gave me a small smile. "It'll be easier, and a lot less confusing, if both of us focus on Usagi. I know how much you owe the Queen, but...."

I reached out and touched her lips with my fingertips.

"I understand. I owe both of them, for more than I can ever repay. But if I can give a little something to Chibi-Usa to counter what I helped put her through when she was little, I want to."

Pallas' smile grew and she kissed the tips of my fingers. "Thank you."

She led the rest of the way to the Crystal, then reached out to it with one hand.

"We need to hold each other and the Crystal at the same time. When you feel its power, don't try to control it. Just open yourself, the way you do when you're in water, and focus on the Princess."

She made it sound so easy...so I touched the Crystal, and felt my other hand squeezing hers tightly as I felt not only the Crystal, but her, as well. Then I didn't feel her anymore, I  _was_  her, and she was me. I felt her love for the Princess as if it was my own, then realized it wasn't merely "as if," as her love became a part of me. I felt her shame at having been used by Neherenia, so much like mine for my use by the Death Phantom.

As I reached out to sooth her shame, she was reaching out to do the same to me. It didn't seem so bad anymore, not with her in my heart. As one, we reached out to the Princess, and the power from the Crystal flowed through us to her, washing away those feelings of shame and inadequacy and filling us with an understanding that we are who we are because of our pasts, and our Princess loves us exactly as we are.

I don't know how long we were there time seemed to lose any meaning but eventually the Princess thanked us for our help and embraced us together and separately in her presence. When I opened my eyes, Pallas was looking back at me. We reached out for each other simultaneously, and spent several minutes holding each other tight and exchanging kisses.

"Now I understand," I said when we finally separated. "I never thought...."

"Neither did I," Pallas said. "I'd always imagined it would be a man...."

"Maybe it will be, someday. But if there ever is one...."

"He'll have to love both of us."

We laughed together at that. Finishing her thoughts, and her finishing mine, was strange, but being that close to her felt good. She took my hand and twined her fingers with mine, then winked at me.

"Now we have to pretend to be respectable."

The very idea of pretending to be respectable seemed so absurd that we both broke into laughter. We walked back toward the Princess, slowed every so often when we glanced at each other and started laughing again at the idea of pretending to be respectable.

 

* * *

 

Belldandy felt the first demonic reaction to Serenity's actions and let a small smile play across her face. Now that Jörmungandr had been dealt with, she was free to get a little payback for what they had done to her Keiichi.

As the first demon flew into the area around the pit, it was suddenly grabbed and raised to eye level with Belldandy and her sisters. She gave it a cold smile as its body was stretched to the limits of its ability to withstand.

"I would tell you to take a message back to Hell," Belldandy hissed as the demon's snarls turned to whimpers, then screams of pain, "but this will be message enough."

With that, the demon's body came apart, the pieces flying in different directions with enough force that each one killed another demon when it hit. The light of anger in Belldandy's eyes remained bright, and demons suddenly began flying at her from all directions - none of them under their own power. As each one ended its journey in front of her, it was torn apart as quickly as if it had been made of paper maché.

The growth of the crystal spire behind her was noted, then ignored, as she tore apart demons in a steady stream of shredded parts. Tears streamed freely down her face as she allowed herself to finally feel the guilt and anguish that she felt she deserved for allowing her Keiichi to be possessed. Her voice no longer sounded even remotely human in its keen of guilt and sorrow. Her failure drove her, the destruction of the demons granting her no peace only a slight sense of satisfaction that  _that_  demon, at least, would no longer threaten anyone.

 

Distantly, Belldandy felt someone tugging on her arms, and heard a voice that sounded like Skuld's. She could have pulled away, but she didn't feel any more demons near enough to reach. Besides, she felt so tired....

The haze faded from her eyes, and she saw the worried looks in her sisters' faces. They were saying something, but it was all too unclear for her to make out. She let herself sink to the ground, where Keiichi was waiting to catch her. She looked up into his eyes, so filled with worry, and reached up to gently touch his lips.

"I'm so sorry, Keiichi-san. I'm so sorry I failed you."

His voice came to her, as gentle and full of love as ever, but the words were too much work to understand as she slipped into an exhausted sleep.

 

* * *

 

Mother and I held each other's hand as we walked back to the pit, quietly sharing the aftereffects of our channeling. We were near the ring of damaged buildings when I felt a familiar sensation of danger and pulled her down with me as I ducked - just in time to be missed by a demon flying backwards toward the pit. Mother had her visor active in an instant and gasped in surprise.

"That demon was trying to run away! Someone is pulling it in, and the energy looks like one of the Goddesses." She looked at me with a surprised expression, and opened her mouth to say something more when we heard a keening sound, the likes of which I had not heard in 20,000 years.

I called up my Key and took her hand, teleporting us both to the side of the King and Queen. They were looking up toward the top of the crystal spire, where the Goddesses were floating, with Urd, Skuld, and Mara all trying to get Belldandy's attention as she tore apart the demon we'd seen being pulled past us. Moments later, two more demons flew up to her, both striving with all their might to escape her pull, both reduced to hamburger within instants.

I looked at Mother, and we both said the same thing: "Keiichi." The Queen looked our way and nodded, and I teleported back to the house.

 

"Morisato-san, I need you to come with me."

Keiichi looked up at me from where he was kneeling beside the coffee table. Luna and Artemis looked from the wall screen to me, and then to Keiichi.

"It's Bell-chan, isn't it? I can feel her from here." Keiichi rose to his feet and went for his shoes while he was talking. I nodded and held out my hand for him to take.

"Thank you, Pluto," Luna said."I wasn't sure how we could get him there quickly enough."

I gave Luna a smile as I teleported back to the pit with Keiichi.

 

"-sure it's safe?" Colonel Matsudaira's voice was barely audible over Belldandy's keening. "The way she's tearing apart those demons...."

"Isn't any more than what any of us could do," Serenity said. "She has a personal reason for her actions, that I am not going to dispute."

Above us, Belldandy's keening ended and she began sinking toward the ground. Keiichi looked up and tugged his hand out of mine, then scrambled toward where she was descending, heedless of the rubble or other obstacles. He reached the base of the spire just in time to catch her. She reached up to touch his face, and he said something to her, then she curled against him limply, clearly completely exhausted.

They appeared to be handling their situation without problems, so I turned my attention back to the Queen and the others. I noticed some surprising pairings among the others as they returned from their Crystal Points. Most surprising, I think, were the Princess' Guardians and the Ayakashi Sisters. As things were at the moment, I could not see clearly what would come of that, so I asked Charon to remind me to do further investigation when I was at home.

"Sailor Pluto?"

I turned at the call, and saw Beruche and Sailor Pallas coming toward me. The way they were holding hands and looking at each other made it clear they had shared a Crystal. I looked back toward the Princess and noticed that the rest of her Guardians were paired up with the Sisters as well. This had the potential to be a problem...or the solution to one. I wasn't sure just yet.

"Sailor Pluto," Pallas started as soon as she saw she had my attention, "we need to take the sisters back to the future with us. Well, to a little bit before when we woke, anyway. We already asked the Princess, and she said that they didn't appear in the Palace until after she'd returned from her training here, which was before we awoke, but well after the Black Moon War."

There was no question about it; they could not be on Earth when Nemesis attacked. The disaster that could be caused by their younger selves meeting them was one that would be horrendously difficult to unravel. Their answer was the right one, no matter how much I didn't like the idea of shuffling them through time like that. Still...sometimes the undesirable was the best option.

"I believe you are right. There's no need for them - or any of you, for that matter - to hurry back, though, so we can take our time and prepare for the best transition possible."

They smiled joyously and hugged each other, then ran off to tell the others, clearly too excited to think of thanking me. Not that I was worried about a little slip like that. Their happiness was enough reward.

While I was thinking about that, Mother slipped an arm around my waist and suggested, in her usual quiet way, "Maybe Sarah needs your attention more than the Queen does."

I blushed when I looked down at her and nodded, then gave her one of those smiles the others are always complaining about.

"If I go back to Sarah, who's going to drive the van? Do you really think you want Haruka driving it?"

"You!" She laughed and swatted my arm. "I'll have you know I've been practicing for my license test. I should be able to get a Class 1 Unlimited license the next time I test."

"Mmmhmm...but until then, Father, Mamoru, and Haruka are the only ones with Unlimited licenses. Maybe we should ask the King if  _he_  wants to drive?"

Mother turned a delightful shade of pink and tried to hide her face in my hair. Given the number of times she's done that with Father's hair, it seems to have become her automatic reaction. I hugged her, then softly suggested, "Perhaps we should see if the Queen needs help, Mother. With Father out for the duration, she doesn't have anyone to translate military for her."

She nodded and shook herself, then put on her "business face" on and turned back toward the Queen. I gave the Queen a wink and a smile, and joined Mother at her side.

"I'm afraid I don't have enough people left to manage the recovery operations," Colonel Matsudaira was telling the Serenity and Endymion as we returned. "We'll have to take men from other units, which means things will move slower than I'd like."

"You can use the men you have here," Endymion suggested.

"Thank you, your Majesty, but no, I can't. I know you're all more powerful than we are, but sometime's there's no substitute for having backup, no matter how powerful you are."

**Trust me on this, its better if you surrender gracefully. He'll feel he's not doing his job if you don't accept at least a few guards.**

**But they could get hurt! Or even killed!**

**Serenity-chan, they're soldiers. They're just as dedicated as any of us. Refuse them this and you'll be calling their dedication into question.**

**She's right, beloved. You're both right. So let's try to make this as painless as possible, ok?**

"Colonel," Endymion said, "We'll accept the men you're offering, as long as none of them have any special skills you need for finding survivors. I won't accept even one person dying who could have been saved by someone who was here guarding us instead of helping with the search."

The colonel didn't look entirely happy with that, but he bowed and began ordering his men. It wasn't long before we had a cadre of soldiers with us, and the colonel departing with the rest of his men. Then Serenity turned to me and gave me a curious look.

**Serenity-chan?**

**It got your attention, didn't it? You were getting yourself far too worked up, over such a small thing. Better to save your strength for when you need it.**

**You know, you're always a surprise.**

**Good.**

I gave her a smile and looked back into the pit. Keiichi was still down there, climbing slowly out of the pit while carrying Belldandy, with the others surrounding them and watching with worried expressions. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus reached down to help them over the edge, onto level ground, then stepped back with enough surprise I could feel it through Charon.

It was at that moment that probabilities coalesced and I saw what was about to happen. There was no time to explain; I just had to hope they'd jump when I called.

**Uranus! Jupiter! Get back! NOW!**

When the demon leapt for Belldandy, Mara raised her hands and blasted it back. Then came the event I knew we had to allow. Keiichi gently put Belldandy on the ground and stepped over her, to stand between her and the demon. He turned toward Skuld with the same look of determination I'd seen so often on Father's face.

"Skuld," Keiichi said in a voice that carried clearly to all of us, "would you please loan me a wrench?"

Skuld offered him her hammer, but he shook his head.

"No, a wrench would be better. This...creature...is one of the things that made Belldandy cry. I intend to teach it that even an engineer is more than a match for it."

Skuld looked from Keiichi to Belldandy and back again, then nodded and folded her hands in prayer. A ball of light appeared in front of her, then quickly elongated into the shape of a wrench, of the size used on heavy construction machinery. Keiichi took the wrench, and as he did, the light flowed over him and his clothing transformed into something that looked like mechanic's coveralls, but glinted like the golden chain the Norns wore. He gave Skuld a half-smile, then turned to the demon.

"You and your kind hurt the woman I love." Keiichi's voice was hard, angry, and flat. He smacked the palm of his hand with the head of the wrench as he spoke. "Now it's time for you to pay."

With that, he used the wrench in a way I've frequently seen mechanics use their wrenches in vaguely similar situations. There was a loud crunch, the demon's neck bent at a normally impossible angle, and it dissolved, just like a droid.

Keiichi sank to his knees beside Belldandy and picked her up, then turned to carry her toward us.


End file.
